Pouvanaa a Oopa
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Pouvana'a a O'opa (May 10, 1895 – January 10, 1977) 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 Austra ...
an 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 in the National Assembly of France from 1949 — 1958, when he was convicted on charges of arson and sentenced to eight years imprisonment and 15 years exile in France. After being pardoned in 1968, he served as a Senator from 1971 until his death in 1977. His conviction was quashed in 2018 after new evidence showed that French police had fabricated evidence or extracted it by threats of violence, and that the Governor had reported Pouvanaa's arrest before the fires had even been set.


Biography


Early life

Pouvanaa a Oopa was born in 1895 in Maeva, on the island of
Huahine Huahine is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Leeward Islands group ''(Îles sous le Vent).'' At the 2017 census it had a population of 6,075. ...
. His mother was of Polynesian descent while his father was a Danish sailor. He was a veteran of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, serving in the Pacific Battalion of the French army. Pouvanaa also worked as a "fried-potato
vendor In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these terms ...
" and a carpenter.


Politics

During
World War II 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 opposing ...
, Pouvanaa criticized people who profited financially from the war, and was exiled to a reef islet in his native Huahine in 1942. Following the end of the war and the
liberation of France The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany inv ...
, Pouvanaa continued to criticize French colonial rule in the islands. In 1947 he was prosecuted for "challenging government authority", but acquitted. In October 1947 he founded a political party, the Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People (RDPT), which advocated Tahitian nationalism and an end to French colonial rule. Pouvanaa was first elected as a deputy in the National Assembly of France in the 1949 French Oceania by-election, following the death of Georges Ahnne, becoming the first French Polynesian to serve in the
French Chamber of Deputies Chamber of Deputies (french: Chambre des députés) was a parliamentary body in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: * 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of ...
. He was further re-elected to the French National Assembly in 1951 and 1956. He became the leader of the local government administration of the islands in 1958. Under the slogan of "Tahiti for the Tahitians; Frenchmen into the sea!", Pouvanaa's RDPT swept local elections. He accused the government of France allowing the local
economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
to deteriorate. As part of the local government, Pouvanaa and his supporters enacted French Polynesia's first
income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
, in order to gain more revenue from the local economy, which was dominated by ethnic French and
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
businesspeople A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...
. A
strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
by business leaders, and a riot in Papeete, in which the French Polynesian Assembly was pelted with stones, led to the law being repealed. Pouvanaa was a strong advocate of in favor of independence for French Polynesia during the French Polynesian referendum of 1958, which was part of the wider French constitutional referendum. He campaigned in favor of the 'no' vote against the French constitution and in support of independence from France. However, government officials restricted campaigning by the 'no' side, and in some outlying islands voters were unaware that 'no' was an option. The 'no' vote was defeated in the referendum by a margin of 62–36%, and French Polynesia remained a French territory. However, some local commentators believe 'no' would have won if they had been able to campaign freely.


Arrest and exile in France

In 1958 Pouvanaa was charged with arson in Papeete. He was accused of leading unrest and trying to burn down the city. In October 1959 he was found guilty and sentenced to eight years in prison and an additional fifteen years of exile in
metropolitan France Metropolitan France (french: France métropolitaine or ''la Métropole''), also known as European France (french: Territoire européen de la France) is the area of France which is geographically in Europe. This collective name for the European ...
. He was released from prison in 1962.
French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
Charles de Gaulle pardoned Pouvanaa in 1968 and he returned to French Polynesia in 1969.


Later life

Pouvanaa campaigned for and was elected to the
French Senate The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is the upper house of the French Parliament, with the lower house being the National Assembly, the two houses constituting the legislature of France. The French Senate is made up of 348 senators (''sénateurs'' a ...
, representing French Polynesia, in 1971. He continued to hold this office until his death in 1977. Pouvanaa died on January 10, 1977, in
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 Austra ...
.


Legacy

In 1982, the Pouvanaa a Oopa Monument was erected in Papeete in front of the
Assembly of French Polynesia The Assembly of French Polynesia (french: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, Tahitian: Te apo'ora'a rahi o te fenua Mā'ohi) is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Plac ...
. The memorial in memory of Pouvanaa became a rallying point for Tahitian during the French nuclear tests of 1995. Nearly one third of the Tahitian adult population gathered at Pouvanaa's memorial in July 1995 to protest against French nuclear detonations in the Tuamotu Archipelago. A street in Papeete, Avenue Pouvanaa A Oopa, is also named in his honor. Pouvanaa's family requested a new trial in 1988, though their request was denied by the French Justice Department in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. In July 2009, the
Assembly of French Polynesia The Assembly of French Polynesia (french: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, Tahitian: Te apo'ora'a rahi o te fenua Mā'ohi) is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Plac ...
unanimously passed a resolution asking the
French government The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who i ...
for a new trial for Pouvanaa a Oopa. The call was repeated in 2013. In 2018 his conviction was quashed by the Court of Revision after new evidence showed that French police had fabricated evidence or extracted it by threats of violence, and that the Governor had reported Pouvanaa's arrest before the fires had even been set.


See also

* Marcel Oopa, son of Pouvanaa a Oopa


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oopa, Pouvanaa a 1895 births 1977 deaths People from Huahine People from Tahiti Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic French Senators of the Fifth Republic French Polynesian exiles French Polynesian people of Danish descent French prisoners and detainees French military personnel of World War I Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People politicians Senators of French Polynesia