Marie-Claude Tjibaou is a former medal-winning athlete, Kanak activist and politician, and widow of the independence movement leader in

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

, Jean-Marie Tjibaou.

Early life

Marie-Claude "Andie" Tjibaou was born Marie-Claude Wetta on 10 January 1949 in

Ponérihouen Ponérihouen is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean ...

on the north coast of Grand Terre, the main island of New Caledonia. She is a member of the Néouta tribe. Her father, Doui Matayo Wetta (1917-1980), was a founding member in 1947 of the ''Association des indigènes calédoniens et loyaltiens français'' (Association of Native Caledonians and French Loyalists - AICLF) and one of the first nine

Melanesians Melanesians are the predominant and indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia, in a wide area from Indonesia's New Guinea to as far East as the islands of Vanuatu and Fiji. Most speak either one of the many languages of the Austronesian language fa ...

to sit on the general council of the French territory of New Caledonia. He was Minister of Public Relations, Information, Basic Education and Cooperation from 1958 to 1962. Tjibaou was very athletic. She represented New Caledonia in the South Pacific Games, winning a gold medal in the shot put at the 1969 games in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

and the shot put and discus at the 1971 games in

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...

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 ...

. She also won silver medals in 1966 in Nouméa and 1975 in

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

. Tjibaou worked as a rural advisor in the Basic Education Service of New Caledonia from 1971 to 1975. It was at this time that she met Jean-Marie Tjibaou, a former priest, who had just graduated in ethnology. Although he was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and was promoting the idea of Kanak independence and she came from a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

family that wished to remain a part of France, they married and had six children.

Work and cultural activities

Working for the Youth and Sports Service from 1974 to 1976, Tjibaou actively participated in the organization of the ''Melanesia 2000'' festival, the first festival of Melanesian arts, which was held in Nouméa, capital of New Caledonia, in September 1975. Her husband and father were also involved. She then joined the Interior and Islands Development Organization (ODIL) from 1976 to 1985, before setting up development projects in the North Province for the Regional Development Office (ODER) and the Rural Development and Land Development Agency (ADRAF). By this time, her husband had become the leader of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) and of the self-proclaimed "Provisional Government of Kanaky". After the murder of her husband on 4 May 1989 in Ouvéa in the Loyalty Islands Province, Tjibaou participated in the creation in 1990 of the Kanak Culture Development Agency (ADCK), and became its president. She was one of the main proponents of the

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre (french: Centre culturel Tjibaou), on the narrow Tinu Peninsula, approximately northeast of the historic centre of Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, celebrates the vernacular Kanak culture, the indige ...

. She became a member of the Pacific Islands Museum Association (PIMA) and president of the organizing committee for New Caledonia's participation in the

Festival of Pacific Arts The Festival of Pacific Arts, Pacific Arts Festival, or FESTPAC is a traveling festival hosted every four years, in the same year as the Summer Olympics, by a different country in Oceania ( map). It was conceived by the Pacific Community (former ...

, held in the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

in 1992 and

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

in 1996, and which organized the festival when it took place in New Caledonia in 2000. She has been a member of the board of La Première, a radio and television service for French overseas territories.

Social and political activities

Tjibaou founded an association against sexual violence, ''SOS Violences sexuelles'', in 1992 and is the honorary president of the association. She became vice-president of the Association for the Protection Against Alcohol Abuse (APAA). She was made a member of the Economic and Social Council of New Caledonia until 1999, and was then appointed to the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), as a representative of the overseas territories of France, remaining on the Council until the end of 2015. She ran for the French Senate as an FLNKS candidate in 2001 but was narrowly beaten. From 1995 to 2000, she was a municipal councillor in

Hienghène Hienghène (; Fwâi: ''Hyehen'') is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is located on a bay called Hienghène Bay, known for its eroded limestone islets. The islets are rem ...

, a town on the east coast of Grande Terre, of which her husband was mayor from 1977 until his death. In 2014 she campaigned to become mayor of Nouméa, but was unsuccessful. In the same year she was a candidate for the Overseas Territories of France European Parliament constituency, without success.

Awards and honours

*Tjibaou was made a Chevalier of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

in 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tjibaou, Marie-Claude 1949 births Living people Kanak people People from North Province, New Caledonia New Caledonian women in politics New Caledonian sportswomen Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur