Pacific Underground to receive 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award
The Pacific Music Awards is only two weeks away, and today the recipient of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award is announced: Christchurch based performing arts collective, Pacific Underground.
Source: NZ Herald
They formed in 1993, and since then have shared stories of Pasifika communities living in Aotearoa through plays, music concerts, events, CDs, tours and collaborations with artists all over the Pacific.
Pacific Music Awards Trust spokesperson Rev Mua Strickson-Pua notes that the award recognises artists who have significantly contributed to Pacific music over an extended period of time.
Pacific Underground appearing in the Pacific Music Awards 2011.
"That's certainly something the community sees in Pacific Underground. This group has occupied a central space in the local scene and across a wide variety of mediums.…more
Festival of the Pacific Arts 2016 - Guam
Check out the biggest gathering of Pacific artists in the world - the Festival of the Pacific Arts 2016!
27 different Islands from Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia have come together in a sharing of knowledge and Taonga from their counties.
Local Chamorro are hosting the different delegations at high schools around the Island that have been converted into dorms for the 100 strong delegations.
Hundreds of different artist feature across all art forms until June 2nd - from visual arts, digital arts, floral, food, traditional dance, contemporary performance, body adornment, theatre, tatau and clay work.
Humans Of The Islands - Poloma Iosefa (Momeachokes)
POLOMA IOSEFA (a.k.a MOMOEACHOKES)
Samoan
28 years old
Humans Of The Islands - Kobi Tanetongu
I'm making this fisherman's hat, this is the style from our ancestors almost exact replica from the way we made them hundreds of years ago.
The more intense weaving is from my teacher here but a lot of the style of coconut weaving came from my aunties.
This pandanus comes from off island the Chamorro coconut fibre is alot stronger, alot more sturdy.
We don't have a lot of coconut trees in Guam so there isn't a lot of raw material- the beetlenut destroyed
them.
As far as folding leaves it was very easy to get the concept but it's very difficult to hold on to all the leaves at one time! Now days all the traditional weavers are really scattered, in our all group Its mostly men who weave but back in the day it was mostly women.
The most challenging thing I have woven is a little bag because the finer it gets the more challenging it can be.…more
King Haku at Armageddon
Tonga 'Uli'uli Fifita (born 3 February 1959) is a semi-retired Tongan professional wrestler known for his appearances in both World Champion Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In WCW, he wrestled under the name Meng; in the WWF, he wrestled under the names King Tonga, King Haku, and Haku
Special thanks to Michel Mulipola
Spectacular Opening of the Festival of Pacific Arts '16 : Guåhan/Guam
The spectacular opening of the Festival of Pacific Arts '16 with 27 Island nations representing their finest in this unique showdown of all our magnificent Pacific taonga and performance! #FestPac #OpeningShowcase #VakaArrival
Should Joseph Parker risk losing his chance to fight Anthony Joshua?
Kiwi-Samoan heavyweight Joseph Parker is set to fight Solomon Haumono in what would be the biggest transtasman bout in history.
The fight would likely take place in New Zealand, and the winner would get an IBF title bout against Britain's world champion Anthony Joshua.
Parker, 24, defeated tough French-Cameroonian Carlos Takam in Manukau on Saturday via unanimous decision to become the mandatory challenger for Joshua.
The undefeated Parker (19-0, 16KO) is New Zealand's best heavyweight since David Tua, while Haumono (24-2-2, 21KO) is one of Australia's best-known athletes having previously been a star NRL player.
Haumono, 40, has been publicly challenging Parker for some time and it appears his wish has been granted.
But he will be a heavy underdog against Parker, who many believe is the future of the heavyweight division alongside Joshua.…more
Former Heavyweight boxer David Tua reveals battle with depression
“I went through a depression that I started to think like a serial killer.” So were the thoughts in former heavy weight boxer To’aletai David Tua depressed mind after losing everything – money and assets he earned during his boxing career of which he blamed the people around him which he took to court.
Source: Talamua
Tua was speaking in Apia where he traveled from Auckland, New Zealand to support Marie Grace in concert and her efforts to share their lives stories and experiences to help young Samoans who maybe going through the same problems.
But Tua is now changed focusing on the positive encouraging young Samoans to stay with God and obey their parents.
“It was through the grace of God,” he professed. “I went through very challenging times. As a (professional) boxer, you put your trust in people that you trust will do the right thing. If people kill for a pair of shoes, $20 million dollars is alot of dead people,” he said.…more
Pacific Festival of the Arts 2016 in Guam
The Pacific Festival of the Arts kicked off to a breathtaking start this morning with the arrival of a magnificent fleet of Vaka from neighboring regions and the federated stars of Micronesia.
Master navigator Tua Pittman from the Cook Islands says "while it was too far for our own vaka to come this year, it was a huge honour to be invited to sail in on the Chamorro vaka - we owe so much of our ocean craft to the Micronesians."
The traditional vaka of Micronesia made up most of the fleet for the festival opening including those from Saipan and Lamotrek who sailed for 6 days to reach Guahan.
The festival officially opens this evening with 27 countries from the Pacific region representing their Island nations in a spectacular opening ceremony for this unique showcase of arts and culture that lasts until June 4th.
