[IPSM] Fwd: Tuvalu Cultural King Tides Festival

[Vincent Pang]

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Sorry for crossposting, if any..

PRESS RELEASE

TUVALU CULTURAL KING TIDES’ FESTIVAL

Tuvalu’s 1st edition of its “Cultural King Tides festival” – Tuvalu !
The Tide is High! – will take place during the next king tides, the
highest tides of the year, from Feb 26th to March 1st, when most
of the capital island is submerged by sea water coming through the\
ground.



Today global warming is the most serious issue humans have to solve.
The remote and sparsely populated archipelago of Tuvalu is a
microcosm of the environmental issues we all face. It is also the first
sovereign nation faced with becoming uninhabitable due to climate change.
If Tuvalu is to disappear, not only a land would be wiped off the maps,
but a whole nation with its unique society, culture and traditions will be
erased from the Human diversity spectrum.



Determined not to let their cultural patrimony -- a remote part of the
world’s heritage -- slip away, the Tuvaluan people have devised this
plan to display, perform and record multiple cultural activities to take
place at a most symbolic period of time.



Little is known about Tuvalu’s culture. Although, it is believed that
the Pacific was settled 6000 years ago, the discovery of underwater
caves in Nanumaga, one of Tuvalu’s northern islands, indicates that
human could have settled much earlier. In 1861, the arrival of
missionaries (London Missionary Society-LMS), might have changed
Tuvalu’s beliefs and religious traditions forever. What is lost is lost
and the archipelago will keep some of its mysteries forever but there
is an unquestionable need for preserving what is left .



During 3 days, traditional competitions and demonstrations will
show some aspects of Tuvaluan Culture through sports,
handicrafts, dancing, singing, food and Tuvalu’s unique talent
in improvised story-telling and dramas. The objective is to raise
awareness about what will be lost if Tuvalu’s nation was
both to the new generations and to the world at large. Parallel
activities on climate causes, consequences and solutions will
target both children and adults, focusing on what we all can
do to try to turn the tide.



This first edition of the Tuvalu Cultural King Tides Festival is
made possible by the unified efforts of many Government
ministries and NGO’s*. It is part of The “Small is Beautiful”
(SIB) plan, one of UNESCO’s Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development Remarkable Actions, launched
with, as a primary objective, the preservation of Tuvalu’s
cultural heritage and identity.



Contact : tuvalukingtidesfestival at gov.tv

The organizers :
The original committee :
Ministry of Communication and tourism
Ministry of natural resources and environment
Ministry of Home Affairs, cultural department
Ministry of Education and schools
Department of Tourism
Environment Department
Cultural Office
Youth Office
Sports Office
Meteorological Office
Tuvalu Media Department
Public Works Department
Funafuti Kaupule,
Chamber of Commerce
Lodging Association (Filamona, Vaiaku Lagi Hotel)
Red Cross
Alofa Tuvalu


Some of the other participants :

Island Communities
Tuvalu National Council of Women
Island Care
Tango
TuFHA
Tuvalu Overview
EKT
Schools on Funafuti (the capital of Tuvalu)

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