Latest news with #Bourail
ABC News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Iconic First Nations artists' exchange culture and music in New Caledonia
Language was never going to get in the way when two iconic First Nations artists and the people of New Caledonia came together in the name of music. Earlier this year, the Australian Consulate-General in Nouméa brought Australian artists Jeffrey Yello Simon, Manuel Dhurrkay and Michael Hohnen to New Caledonia. Over the week, they shared traditional music from their homelands and immersed themselves in the culture and music of New Caledonia. The cultural exchange began two hours north-west of the capital Nouméa, in Tribu de Gouaro in Bourail. Set on the sandy Pacific coast, the cultural exchange all began in Tribu de Gouaro in Bourail. ( ABC Pacific: Nicolas Job ) Jeffrey, well known as the frontman of popular Tiwi RnB band B2M, told ABC Pacific he wasn't at all worried about the language barrier. "We all work at the same frequency, same energy, same vibe. When we start with that, everything blooms after that," he said. Jeffrey was right — as soon as he, Manuel and Michael began their small concert in Tribu de Gouaro, the crowd responded with cheers and clapping to music in their mother tongue and the didgeridoo. Manuel is the lead singer of the island reggae group, Saltwater Band. ( ABC Pacific: Nicolas Job ) The group was also flanked by New Caledonia musical legend Esther Wamejo, who helped navigate customs and translation and collaborated on musical performances as well. After their performance in Bourail, they then travelled further north to Pouembout before finally spending several days in Nouméa. It was in Nouméa where the next generation of Kanaky New Caledonia's musicians got to engage with the group, jamming with young locals and creating music to perform at at their final concert. Jeffrey and Manuel spent the day creating music with young musicians from New Caledonia. ( ABC Pacific: Nicolas Job ) Manuel, the lead singer of Saltwater Band, the island reggae group from Elcho Island, hadn't been to New Caledonia and said his visit filled him with joy. "Culture back in Australia and their culture [here] is a little bit similar, and I can't believe it," he said. Esther said the week-long exchange came at a good time and that she loved "seeing the eyes of the people they were exchanging with". "Seeing the stars shine in their eyes when they share about their culture and customs," she said. "Seeing their eyes shine even more…. So, for me it's really about the exchanges." A night of unity The concert provided a time of unity. ( ABC Pacific: Nicolas Job ) On the final night of the Australian group's exchange, they held a final concert at the historic Tjibaou Cultural Centre, which soon filled with a diverse crowd, from indigenous Kanaks to European migrants. In the group's final song, everyone gathered and danced. ( ABC Pacific: Nicolas Job ) Esther said her family from Maré attended the concert and "were really touched" and "really moved by the evening". "And yes, lots of people dancing too. A lot of people who were happy to be there. You could see all the colours of people from different communities, different islands." Australian musician Michael Hohnen was overwhelmed by the community's response to their concert. "Having Yello and Manuel from two different bands, two different languages… so we've really had to mix it up. Yellow's done more kind of hip hop stuff, Manuel has done more lyrical, beautiful vocal stuff," he said. "But the crazy thing about here is, as you've seen over the last few days a lot of people sing here, there's a lot of beautiful song." In the spirit of NAIDOC Week's 2025 theme of strength, vision and legacy, the cultural exchange made connections that will likely last far beyond a single week of music.
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
New Caledonia's political talks: no outcome after three days of 'conclave'
Customary welcome at the Gouaro tribe on the Deva estate in Bourail, where 'conclave' discussions between French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls, left, independentists and non-independents on the institutional future of New Caledonia will take place over several days. Photo: Delphine Mayeur / Hans Lucas / AFP After three solid days of talks in retreat mode, New Caledonia's political parties have yet to reach an agreement on the French Pacific territory's future status. The talks, held with French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls and French Prime Minister's special advisor Eric Thiers, have since Monday moved from Nouméa to a seaside resort in Bourail - West coast of the main island, about 200 kilometres away from the capital - in what has been labelled a "conclave", a direct reference to this week's meeting of Catholic cardinals in Rome. However, the Bourail conclave is yet to produce any kind of white smoke, and no one, as yet, claims "Habemus Pactum" to say that an agreement has been reached. Under heavy security, representatives of both pro-France and pro-independence parties are being kept in isolation and are supposed to stay there until a compromise is found to define New Caledonia's political future, and an agreement that would later serve as the basis for a pact designed to replace the Nouméa Accord that was signed in 1998. The talks were supposed to conclude on Wednesday, but it has been confirmed that the discussions were going to last longer, at least one more day, probably well into the night. Valls was initially scheduled to fly back to Paris on Thursday, but it has also been confirmed that he will stay longer. Almost one year after civil unrest broke out in New Caledonia on 13 May 2024, leaving 14 dead and causing €2.2 billion in damages, the talks involve pro-France Les Loyalistes, Le Rassemblement, Calédonie Ensemble and pro-independence FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front), UNI-PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party). Éveil Océanien, a Wallisian-based party, defends a "neither pro, nor against independence" line, what it calls a "third way". The talks, over the past few days, have been described as "tense but respectful", with some interruptions at times. The most sensitive issues among the numerous topics covered by the talks on New Caledonia's future, are reported to be the question of New Caledonia's future status and its future relationship to France. Other sensitive topics include New Caledonia's future citizenship and the transfer of remaining key powers (defence, law and order, currency, foreign affairs, justice) from Paris to Nouméa. Valls, who is visiting New Caledonia for the third time since February 2025, said he would stay in New Caledonia "as long as necessary" for an inclusive and comprehensive agreement to be reached. Earlier this week, Valls also likened the current situation as "walking on a tightrope above embers." "The choice is between an agreement and chaos," he told local media. On both sides of the discussion table, local parties have all stated earlier that bearing in mind their respective demands, they were "not ready to sign at all costs." The most hard-line pro-independence views, from FLNKS, are demanding full sovereignty while on the pro-France side, the line is to consider that link as unquestionable, after three referendums were held there between 2018 and 2021. Manuel Valls takes part in the welcoming ceremony. Photo: Delphine Mayeur / Hans Lucas / AFP Valls's approach was still trying to reconcile those two very antagonistic views, often described as "irreconcilable". "But the thread is not broken. Only more time is required", local media quoted a close source as saying. Last week, an earlier session of talks in Nouméa had to be interrupted due to severe frictions and disagreement from the pro-France side. Speaking to public broadcaster NC la 1ère on Sunday, Rassemblement leader Virginie Ruffenach elaborated, saying "there had been profound elements of disagreements on a certain number of words uttered by the Minister (Valls)". One of the controversial concepts, strongly opposed by the most radical pro-French parties, was a possible transfer of key powers from Paris to Nouméa, as part of a possible agreement. "In what was advanced, the land of New Caledonia would no longer be a French land", Ruffenach stressed on Sunday, adding this was "unacceptable" to her camp. She also said the two main pro-France parties were opposed to any notion of "independence-association". "Neither Rassemblement, nor Les Loyalistes will sign for New Caledonia's independence, let this be very clear". The pro-France camp is advocating for increased powers (including on tax matters) for each of the three provinces of New Caledonia, a solution sometimes regarded by critics as a form of partition of the French Pacific territory. In a media release on Sunday, FLNKS "reaffirmed goal was Kanaky (New Caledonia's) accession to full sovereignty". On the general public level, a feeling of high expectations, but also wariness, seems to prevail at the news that discussions were still inconclusive. In 1988, the Matignon-Oudinot peace talks between pro-independence leader at the time, Jean-Marie Tjibaou and pro-France leader Jacques Lafleur, were also held, in their final stage, in Paris, behind closed doors, under the close supervision of French Prime Minister, Socialist Michel Rocard. The present crucial talks also coincide with a series of fateful anniversaries in New Caledonia's recent history: on 5 May 1988, French special forces ended a hostage situation and intervened on Ouvéa Island in the Gossana grotto, where a group of hard-line pro-independent militants had kept a group of French gendarmes. The human toll was heavy: 19 Kanak militants and 2 gendarmes were killed. On 4 May 1989, one year after the Matignon-Oudinot peace accords were signed, Jean-Marie Tjibaou and his deputy Yeiwene Yeiwene were gunned down by hard-line pro-independence Kanak Djubelly Wea. Valls attended most of these commemoration ceremonies, at the weekend. On 5 May 1998, the Nouméa Accord, now aged 27, was signed between New Caledonia's parties and then French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. The Nouméa pact, which is often regarded as a de facto Constitution, was placing a particular stress on the notions of "re-balancing" economic wealth, a "common destiny" for all ethnic communities "living together" and a gradual transfer of powers from Paris to Nouméa. The Accord also prescribed that if three self-determination referendums (initially scheduled between 2014 and 2018) had produced three rejections (in the form of "no"), then all political stakeholders were supposed to "meet and examine the situation thus generated". The current talks aimed at arriving at a new document, which was destined to replace the ageing Nouméa Accord and bring New Caledonia closer to having its own Constitution. Valls said he was determined to "finalise New Caledonia's decolonisation" process.
