FESTPAC 2024 prep underway

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa delegation to the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FESTPAC 2024) slated for June 6- 16, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii is finalizing its preparations and logistic details for participation.

The local delegation consists of 100 artists of various cultural disciplines whose accommodation and meals will be paid for by the festival organizing committee, and support staff from various government departments who will be assisting in the many performances.

The support staff must be department employees and each department will be responsible for their accommodation and meals, according to the ASG.

The group will be led by Heads of Delegation, Governor’s Office Chief of Staff Loa Tauapa’i Laupola and Arts Council Director Male Tiumalu.

The group’s participation in the 13th Festival of Pacific of Arts and Culture and the Samoan Heritage Festival — the latter event takes place after FestPAC Hawaiʻi — will be funded by unobligated and unexpended revenues from Fiscal Year 2022 totaling $700,000.

It was revealed that a total of $200,164.50 will be spent on the delegation’s combined airfare which is the group rate, compared to a one charter flight which would have cost between $250,000 and $300,000.

While the majority of the 100 delegation members have all their travel documents in order for their departure, a few who are not US Nationals/ Citizens have applied for US entry visas and are currently in Apia to attend interviews at the US Embassy in Apia.

Delegation co-head Loa told the leaders of the various categories in a meeting yesterday, to pray that they will all be granted visas so that there will not be any problems with their preparations.

They will be leaving for Hawaii on the 3rd of June on Hawaiian Airlines and are expected to return on June 17, 2024.

Entitled “Ho’oulu Lāhui — Regenerating Oceania,” the festival will showcase the different aspects of Pacific arts and culture in 15 categories.

These include Oratorical Arts, Weaving/Adornments, Tattoo, Film/ New Media, Carving, Heritage Dance, Fashion, Theater, Live Music, Choral Performance, Tapa/Siapo, Culinary Arts, Voyaging, Symposium and Literature/Literary Arts.

The FESTPAC is the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders, drawing artists, cultural practitioners, scholars and officials from member nations of the Pacific Community (SPC). It is held every four years in a different Pacific Island nation.

The first festival which was initially called the South Pacific Festival of Arts was hosted by Fiji in 1972.

The goals of the Festival were developed in 1975 and have remained the driving force of the event

• Preserving and revival of traditional arts and cultures of the Pacific,
• Exploring new forms of cultural activities suited to the needs of the Pacific,
• Creating greater awareness of the cultural richness of the Pacific throughout the world,
• Fostering a greater sense of unity throughout the Pacific to promote excellence in arts, and
• Promoting the development and use of ethnic [indigenous] languages.

The last festival was hosted by Guam in 2016 before COVID-19 restrictions.

American Samoa hosted the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts in 2008, with the theme of “Su’iga’ula a le Atuvasa: Threading the Oceania ‘Ula”. An area of Utulei beach is now named using the 2008 FESTPAC theme, Su’iga’ula a le Atuvasa, and is commonly acknowledged as Su’iga’ula Beach.