Melanesia 2000 was the first festival of Melanesian arts, first held in
Noumea,
New Caledonia in September 1975, supported by
Jean-Marie Tjibaou
Jean-Marie Tjibaou (January 30, 1936 – May 4, 1989) was a French politician in New Caledonia and leader of the Kanak independence movement. The son of a tribal chief, Tjibaou was ordained a Catholic priest but abandoned his religious vocation fo ...
.
It had its origins in the women's association,
Smiling Melanesian Village Women's Groups which was formed in 1971 and advocated the idea of a cultural festival to promote
Kanak
The Kanak (French spelling until 1984: Canaque) are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific. According to the 2019 census, the Kanak make up 41.2% of New Caledonia' ...
arts.
References
External links
Recording of Melanesian 2000
Culture of New Caledonia
1975 in Oceania
1975 in New Caledonia
{{NewCaledonia-stub