Canvas of Oceans: celebrating and protecting Pacific culture and identity | ABC Australia

Canvas of Oceans explores the world’s largest celebration of Pacific culture. From the team behind The Pacific, Alice Lolohea and Johnson Raela are in Hawai’i for the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC).
From musical and dance performances to traditional and contemporary arts interspersed with moving conversations, Canvas of Oceans captures the essence of FestPAC. This film tells a story of celebration, preservation and the challenges faced by many Pacific communities grappling with the after-effects colonisation as they strive to protect their cultural identity.
Featuring: Antony Vavia, Aisea Toetu’u, Tyla Vaeau, Raki Ap, Koteka Wenda, Franceska De Oro, Solomon Booth, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu and Jordan Souza.
Production crew: Sean Mantesso, Gabriella Marchant, Alice Lolohea, Johnson Raela, John McGovarin
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[@ambo9569]

This FestPac feels different in essence from the previous ones. Our collective political consciousness is at one of its highest points in history. Culture has become resistance. The people of Oceania are starting to recognize that colonialism affects our lives on a daily basis, some countries more than the other (WestPa, Kanaky, Hawai’i, Aboriginal Australia, etc).
As “small” nations, our unity is what will make our voices more formidable. Divided we fall, united we rise through all the hardships

[@TommySatele]

Loving my heritage Greatest people in the world 🌍 Polynesian powers...

[@originalclaymoreboy728]

Free west Papua💯💯😤

[@robinblitz5213]

Never apologise for crying

[@malaikamillions]

I’m so very grateful for this program. I celebrate living in a time where I can learn about cultures across all our home, planet earth. I am frequently struck with grief at seeing the tremendous damage that colonialism has caused long term to so many unique cultures. I often wonder where is the discourse on certain debts owed by the colonizers. Unfortunately the ages of the powerful pillaging isn’t over. There needs to be a global shift in values towards preservation & appreciation of each unique culture, and compensation, including returning stolen artifacts strewn across the globe in museums. It starts with this level of humble recompense to begin to see each culture as a treasure, simply by returning stolen treasures.

[@ArnouldGeelhand]

Thank you for this very interesting documentary ! Great work Alice and the rest of the team !

[@ChonaOngcas-j1r]

God bless HAWAII

[@Trey_Stylez-3066]

Carry on our traditions young and future generations to come. Keep teaching the tamarikis. Tamas, tamarikas, wahine, maine, vaine, ta'ahine, hine.
It's about who we all are and coming together as one. Really enjoyed this episode. Love that whanau tatau u got in hawaii from the legendary pacific artist. Couldn't want a tatau from a any woman but her esp our designs etc.
As for Papua. FREE WEST PAPUA. But we know your country has been in turmoil for a long time in the decades from the 60s up until early 2000s. But in order to fight governments is by carrying on your traditions and culture and share with the new generations to come. Not fighting and shooting and warfare. But generational cultural identity is what you need to keep alive. Thats how you fight the Indonesian governments. They did the same thing when they came to pacific. Fighting through Asia until they got displaced in Indonesia. The original Indonesian tribes trade their cultural traditions with aborigines of australia in Darwin. They been doing it since before whites came to pacific. And are only slowly learning about it. That both have artefacts from each others culture from 800 plus years ago. Sailing back and forth to celebrate and share culture. Papua did the same with T.I's Torres Straight Islanders and aborigines of australia, solomon islands and Marshall islands aborigines, vanuatu, etc.
Love the aboriginal of australia and T.I's..2 of my fave cultures. We are the same people. Similar languages all over pacific. The words differ from nation to nation.
Princess kai'ulani was a great movie to watch to understand whites forcibly stealing the Kanakas land. It is similar to what we all copt when missionary pagans came.
We have come to learn and live the ways of the white people. The homeless, the drugs, drug dealings, violence, gang fights, shootings, stabbings, murders, kidnappings, pedophilia, rapists, racism, pollution on our lands and in our oceans, divided cultures, child trafficking, woman trafficking, prostitution, live to work for Money the root of all evil. Only to buy a house and for it to eventually go back to the government and banks when you sell it. It doesn't stay in your family unless your the rich ones running the world. Like banks, shipping and world trade organisations, gold, minerals, diamond mining etc. Food on the table and roof over heads for the family, home and contents insurance, car insurance, death insurance, health insurance, cost of living all for money. Science to make drugs, meth, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and panadol, nuerofins, pharmaceutical drugs etc. Hawaii never had any of this before white missions pagans and American civil war pagans came witb their white ways of life. And traditions slowly going in our pacific. My heart goes out to you hawaii and yous put on a great 2024 event in your home country. Hope to see one there and be there on the next one. Mahalo. Aloha.

[@ambo9569]

I disagree with the part abt West Papua. You can’t fight an imperial power that is trying to wipe your race out just by simply passing down culture.
The only reason a lot of West Papuans are still surviving in 2024 is because their parents & grandparents in the 1960s-2000s escaped assassinations, hid their children from the military, & actually came together to militarily defend themselves, etc.
The Indo military has a policy of using high level firepower bcos they themselves admit that they wouldn’t survive ordinary combat operations against Papuan guerilla fighters who are well-versed in jungle warfare. They’re actually scared of the poisoned arrows. That’s how important this armed resistance is. No matter how poorly funded or armed.
We cannot demonize freedom fighters. Everyone resists colonialism in different ways.

[@Appachoppa112]

I agree with other guy, learn from the hawaiians. Stand 10 toes down or they’ll just keep tearing you apart.