Help Us Establish a New Archives in Vanuatu

ICAS has listed a new project with GlobalGiving. The challenge is to raise $4000 in a 1 month from 50 donors. If successful, we will gain a permanent spot on GlobalGiving that will help us for future projects in the Pacific Islands. Please help us raise money for a project in Vanuatu.

This project will aid in establishing a new National Archives of Vanuatu that will provide free use and access of the country’s most important historical and cultural records. for more information and to donate, please visit: http://goto.gg/9875

Tank yu tumas!

 

Festival of Pacific Arts 2012

Are you looking for a really interesting festival to attend this year? Better yet, are you looking for a really interesting festival in a very unique part of the world?

Then, I highly suggest that you travel to Honiara, Solomon Islands, for the Festival of Pacific Arts which is being held from July 1-14. The theme for this year’s event will be “Culture in Harmony with Nature.”

This special festival only occurs once every four years. It is a cultural exchange that reunites people and reinforces regional identity and mutual appreciation of Pacific-wide culture.

It is considered to be a great honor for selected artist-delegates to represent their nation. This year’s festival is expected to draw more than 3000 artists and cultural practitioners from 27 Pacific countries will travel to Honiara to showcase their arts and cultures.

Please visit the Festival’s Website for more information, festival program, and the latest news and updates.

New Digital System in Papua New Guinea

Here is some news coming out of Papua New Guinea regarding a new records management system:

Issues over land rights happen quite frequently throughout the Pacific Islands. In Papua New Guinea

 

the Department of Lands and Physical Planning along with the Australian software firm, Technology One, are implementing the Land Enhancement and Application Project. This project will allow appropriate staff and officers  to scan and attach documents electronically to land records.

John Ofoi, acting secretary for the Department of Lands and Physical Planning, states, ”We are trying to shift away from the ongoing criticisms of the department’s inability to find records immediately.”

You can click here to read the full text.

Tonga Traditions Committee

News from Brisbane 7 features an interesting article from Tonga. It spotlights the role the Tonga Traditions Committee has played in forming an archives for Tonga and the progress it has made over the last several decades. 

You can view the article here.

Flag of Tonga

The Calling of a Volunteer Archivist

As you may or may not know, Brisbane in Australia is the location for A Climate of Change – ICA Congress 2012. Australian colleagues and the whole PARBICA region are getting ready to welcome participants to Australia in August 2012.

Each week they will feature an article from a Young Professional from the PARBICA region, who will be telling readers about their current projects, aspects of their careers and generally providing a window into what it is like to live and work in the Pacific region.

News from Brisbane- 6 is featuring, Island Culture Archival Support, and focusing on its humble, yet unusual beginnings. Check it out!

Tonga to Promote Cultural Conservation

Here is some latest news coming out of Tonga:

The Minister of Education, Dr. ‘Ana Taufe’ulungaki, challenged participants at a World Heritage National Capacity Building Workshop to become responsible for the conservation of cultural and natural heritage. During her opening speech she stated,

“On some future date, we will be called to account for how we executed our responsibilities, and it is my prayer that our descendants will look back kindly on our accomplishments, and say, You did well!”

To learn more please visit this link.

Tonga is a beautiful and fascinating country comprised of about 175 islands. Because of the friendly reception, Captain Cook dubbed it the “Friendly Islands” during his first visit in 1773. Tonga is the only country in the Pacific Islands that was never formally colonized, although it became a British Protectorate state under the Treaty of Friendship on May 18, 1900. However, this treaty ended in 1970 and became independent. In 2010, Tonga took a decisive step towards becoming a fully functioning constitutional monarchy.

Colonial Administration Files

The British Foreign Office will be making available to the public a large collection of files from former British territories which are also known as the “migrated files.” These files will be transferred to The National Archives (TNA) and will affect some of the countries in the Pacific, most notably in Fiji, Gilbert and Ellice Islands, New Hebrides*, and the Solomon Islands. The first batch of files representing about 16% of the total collection is expected to be available at TNA in April 2012.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has published a transfer timetable. For more information regarding these files and to view the timetable, please click here.

*Speaking of New Hebrides, which is now known as Vanuatu, ICAS will continue to support the development of the new National Library and Archives building on the grounds of the Cultural Center. We are set to accomplish another project for the National Archives this summer. Look for another fund-raising event through GlobalGiving in April. However, if you are itching to support the project today, please visit our 2012 projects page.

This picture depicts a model of the new National Library and Archives building (right from the tree) at the Cultural Center.