Matavaa School - Eyes Wide Open

On 27 June 2024, the second Matavaa arts festival was held on the 6 inhabited islands of Te Henua Enana / Te Fenua Enata (archipelago of the Marquesas Islands) for all public primary schools. Nearly 1,500 children took part in this unique event. It's a cultural and educational event that takes place over a whole day, a day of cohesion to break the isolation of pupils by bringing schools together. This year, it's an opportunity for children to learn about sustainable development, since the theme of this year's event is WATER. Since the beginning of the school year, all the schools have been working on songs and dances, as well as preparing fun and educational workshops for all the visitors and participants in the event. The children studied the waterways of their island, learning about the cycle and path of the element, its preciousness and importance, and ways of taking care of it. 

We're here on the island of Fatu Hiva in the very south of the archipelago. There is a school in each of the island's two villages (Hanavave and Omoa) for children aged between 3 and 11, around fifty in all. The event takes place in Omoa. Here we hear a song called Rari (the name of the southern Marquesans). In the north of the archipelago it's called Ruù). The Rari is a seated song that recounts the events of daily life (birth, death, love and, this year, the preservation of water).
As well as the song, which was common to both schools, there were dances, poetry from each school and declamations, including one in memory of Kahu Edgard Tametona who died last month on the island. He was a great figure in Marquesan culture, a respected choreographer, dancer, author and composer in the community. He was known as the Bird Man because he was the first to re-dance Hakamanu (the bird dance) after it was banned by the missionaries. Today it is practised again on every island in the archipelago. 

The first edition focused on the Mei (fruit of the breadfruit tree), a symbol of Polynesian culinary tradition, with children learning how to prepare several typically Marquesan dishes such as kaaku and popoi.
The next Matavaa school will take place in two years' time.