New Caledonia

MWA KA CULTURAL EVENTS IN NEW CALEDONIA

Mwâ Ka, a 12 meters monumental totem takes place in a public garden in front of the Museum of New Caledonia. Mwâ Ka means the House of Mankind, a space for discussions. It was created by the Kanak community to commemorate September 24th, namely the anniversary of the French annexation of New Caledonia in 1853. This date is a day of mourning for kanak, but in 2005 the creation of Mwâ Ka gave it a quite different meaning. The fact of raising Mwâ Ka was a special symbol to bury the sufferings associated with the French colonization, and to replace this sad anniversary by a celebration of the Kanak identity and the multiethnic nature of New Caledonia. Fiona, LDKom