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SPOTLIGHT ON HIP HOP AT PASIFIKA 2004 |
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By
Ruci
Farrell |
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Hip Hop stole the limelight at this year’s Pasifika Festival with some
of New Zealand’s finest luring a whole generation of hip hop crazy
youngsters to Auckland’s Western Springs.
What bounced off the Air New Zealand contemporary stadium was raw
extraordinary Pasifika talent that set the stage for a classic
entertainment-packed weekend.
All genre of music from hip hop to R&B, reggae, soul, jazz, funk, opera
and pop were the draw card to this year’s mix showcasing chart stoppers
like Scribe, Adeaze, Mareko and Deceptionz, reggae maestros Katchafire,
pop princess Brooke Fraser, opera diva Daphne Collins and Ben Makisi.
Guest artists from across the Tasman included the adorable Lion King
star Vince Harder and vude queen Laisa Vulakoro and her band of
musicians reignited precious memories in the Fiji Village.
The festival has
played a pivotal role in exposing exceptional artists like Nesian
Mystic, Che Fu and Katchafire.
“Air New Zealand came on board this year because they saw Pasifika as
the ideal vehicle to showcase the best of these homegrown talents,”
Pasifika Festival project manager Mere Lomaloma Elliott said.
One of the new additions that Mere was particularly pleased about was
“Pacific Idol” — for 10-15 year olds made possible by Radio 531which
ran the pre-festival auditions on air.
Another new highlight was Genetic Pasifika, held in association with
the Artstation, which paved the way for a fortnight of workshops
and demonstrations by women from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and the Cook
Islands.
The Artstation in Ponsonby was transformed into a space representing
the four participating nations with the women weaving mats and baskets,
stitching the tivaeve quilts in brilliant colours and demonstrating the
fine art of tapa making.
Organiser Brenda Railey likened genetic Pasifika to a conversation that
encourages Pacific and Auckland communities to exchange craft skills,
knowledge and understanding. |
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Lion King star Vince Harder performing at Pasifika Festival. |
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Childrens Stage sponsored by Radio 531 PI. |
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A taste of opera with Daphne Collins and Ben Makisi. |
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Stall holders did a roaring trade selling food and traditional art and
crafts in the eight villages with some taking home between $1,000 to
$10,000.
The presence of a 44-member Tahitian trade and tourism delegation
raised the festival profile to another level as the Pasifika Festival
Advisory Board contemplates the possibility of a trade proponent to the
festival programme.
Black pearls, shells, pareos, fruit juice, natural beauty products,
oils, music and alcohol were the main products that the Tahitians
brought with them.
Horizons Francophones, a French language teaching institution which
encourages the immersion in the French culture and language drew a
fantastic response, according to the Tahitian Trade and Tourisme
Office.
The annual festival, now in its 14th year, is no longer just a
celebration of culture and cuisine anymore– it’s crossed old boundaries
and established new ones.
As always, culture manifested in all its many forms gets reinvented
each year — absolute assurance that Pacific traditions will live
forever here in Aotearoa.
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Copyright Event Polynesia Ltd.
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