La Fête du Toka à Tanna – The Feast of Toka in Tanna, a photography exhibition by Pierre-Alain Pantz

Exhibition launch on Tuesday 26^th July 2016 at 6pm at USP food court.

Free entrance, French wine and finger food offered.

Exhibition open from 26th July until Friday 19^th August at USP, and from 22nd August until 14th October at Alliance Française of Suva. Free entrance. Bilingual exhibition, in French and English.

This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Tjibaou Cultural Center of Nouméa (New Caledonia), the University of South Pacific and the Association of the Vanuatu students of USP.  

As Vanuatu National day is on 30^th July, Alliance française of Suva and its partners want to be part of this celebration (in Vanuatu, 40% of the population is francophone - French speaker).

The Feast of Toka in Tanna.

Photographs from Pierre-Alain Pantz.

On the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, in the shade of banyan trees and at the foot of Yasur volcano, over a thousand dancers celebrate their alliance and peace among the 12 nakamals (a traditional meeting place in Bislama language) of this island.

For five days, in a symphony of colors and songs, women, men and children succeed each other in the nakamal of Yaneumakel, over a series of dances.

This celebration is the culmination of Nekowiar exchange cycle which rules the island social life. Invited by Chief Laukalbi, Pierre- Alain Pantz, photographer, took pictures of this unique festival and its preparations. A special relationship with Tanna, born from this meeting, continues today through the Tanna Solidarity association.

La Fête du Toka à Tanna.

Photographies de Pierre-Alain Pantz.

Sur l’île de Tanna au Vanuatu, à l’ombre des banians et au pied du volcan Yasur, plus d'un millier de danseurs célèbrent l'alliance et la paix entre les 12 nakamals (espace communautaire de sociabilité en langue Bichlamar) de l’île.

Pendant cinq jours, dans une symphonie de couleurs et de chants, les femmes, les hommes et les enfants se succèdent dans le nakamal de Yaneumakel, au fil d’un enchaînement de danses.

Cette célébration est le point culminant du cycle d’échanges du Nekowiar qui rythme la vie sociale de toute l’île. À l’invitation du chef Laukalbi, le photographe Pierre-Alain Pantz a saisi des images de cette fête exceptionnelle et de ses préparatifs. Une relation particulière avec Tanna naîtra de cette rencontre qui se prolonge aujourd’hui au travers de l’association Solidarité Tanna.

The Tjibaou Cultural Center is our partner for this project. It is thanks to it and to Pierre-Alain Pantz that we can present to the Fijian public this extraordinary exhibition.

This cultural center’s main goals are :

- To promote the Kanak linguistic and archeological heritage

- To support Kanak contemporary forms of expression, especially in the field of handcraft, broadcasting technology and art

- To develop cross regional interaction, especially in the South Pacific

- To plan out courses of study

Transferred to New-Caledonia in 2012, newly named ADCK-CCT aims to search, collect and promote the kanak cultural heritage, to initiate and develop kanak artistic creation, to provoke the emergence of common cultural practices and references, to be a pole of regional and international exchanges.