Marcel Pouvanaa Oopa (21 April 1917 — 14 July 1961) was a

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

an politician, the son of the Tahitian leader

Pouvanaa a Oopa Pouvana'a a O'opa (May 10, 1895 – January 10, 1977) was a Tahitian politician and advocate for French Polynesian independence. He is viewed as the ''metua'' (father) of French Polynesia's independence movement. Pouvanaa served as a Deputy ...

.Denoon, Donald.
The Cambridge History of the Pacific Islanders
'. Cambridge ngland Cambridge University Press, 2004. p. 342
Journal officiel de la République française
', July 16, 1961 He belonged to the

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People (RDPT), led by his father. Marcel Oopa was a carpenter by profession.
Notices et portraits des députés de la Ve République > Ie législature > M. Marcel Pouvanaa Oopa
' Marcel Oopa joined the Pacific Battalion during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and fought in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. He fought at

battle of Bir Hakeim The Battle of Bir Hakeim () took place at Bir Hakeim, an oasis in the Libyan desert south and west of Tobruk, during the Battle of Gazala (26 May – 21 June 1942). The 1st Free French Brigade under Marie-Pierre Kœnig defended the position from ...

and in military campaigns in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

and

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. Marcel Oopa received the ''

croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

'' medal as well as the Resistance Medal,

French Liberation Medal The Medal of a liberated France (french: "Médaille de la France libérée") was a decoration of the French Republic created by decree on 12 September 1947 and originally named the "Medal of Gratitude of a Liberated France" (french: "Médaille d ...

and the Libya campaign medal. In 1950 Marcel Oopa took part in the first

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...

celebrations in the history of French Polynesia, participating in military uniform.
Le syndicalisme en Polynésie française de 1852 à nos jours
' In 1959 he became a councillor in the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

, replacing his deceased uncle. In 1960 Marcel Oopa was elected to the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

from the

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

seat in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

, after his imprisoned father had been deposed from his parliamentary seat. Marcel Oopa sat in the group ' Popular Republicans and Democratic Centre' (RPCD, the parliamentary faction of the

Popular Republican Movement The Popular Republican Movement (french: Mouvement Républicain Populaire, MRP) was a Christian-democratic political party in France during the Fourth Republic. Its base was the Catholic vote and its leaders included Georges Bidault, Robert Sc ...

). Marcel Oopa died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

at the Tenon Hospital in Paris on July 14, 1961. His father had been allowed to sit by his bed, after intense pressure from Tahitian on the French authorities. Marcel Oopa's seat in the French National Assembly was temporarily filled by John Teariki, also from the RDPT.
Modifications à la composition de l'Assemblée nationale
''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oopa, Marcel 1917 births 1961 deaths Carpenters Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People politicians Deaths from cancer in France French Polynesian people of Danish descent