Pacific Magazine > Daily News

Bank Of Hawaii Donates $50,000 To Arts Festival

By Fili Sagapolutele in Pago Pago
Sunday: January 27, 2008

The 10th Festival of Pacific Arts organizing committee received a major boost on Friday, the same day that four officials of New Caledonia were on island for meetings with the committee.

Committee co-chair Fagafaga Daniel Langkilde said the $50,000 corporate contribution from Bank of Hawaii is the first major corporate donation for the festival and thanked the regional financial institution for its generous support.

James C. Polk, Bank of Hawaii Executive Vice President and Manager, Pacific Islands Division, presented the donation to Fagafaga, who was surrounded by members of
the organization committee.

The committee is awaiting commitment made by other corporate sponsors both locally and off-island. Besides the local business community, the organization committee has presented proposals to firms in New Zealand, Hawaii and part of the U.S. mainland.

The Bank of Hawaii donation was made at a time when four officials of from Noumea, New Caledonia were on island for site inspections and meetings with the committee.

The delegation, which arrived Thursday night and departs tomorrow, includes Leila Bouchet, Mission Assistant at the Vice Presidency of the New Caledonian government; Regis Vendegou, Director of the Cultural and Customary Affairs in New Caledonia; Jonas Waitreu, Mission Assistant at the Vice Presidency of the New Caledonian
government; and Edouard Wamai, Artistic Director of the New Caledonian delegation for the Festival.

Bouchet said discussions will center around festival sites, show and exhibition venues, outdoor performance places, technical and material means, artist’s accommodations, hospital emergency services, security and police issues, car rentals and hotel
accommodations, and shopping and market sites, according to a committee press release.
By late Friday afternoon, an official of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and a representative of the Fiji delegation left the territory after a three day site visit and meetings with the committee.

SPC coordinator of the Regional Media Centre Larry Thomas and Letila Mitchell of the Pacific Arts Alliance and the Fiji delegation says the territory’s preparations are proceeding well.

Mitchell said venues “look very good” and the accommodations are “a great set-up.”

The Fiji delegation, for example, is being housed at one site with its own kitchen and restroom/bathroom facilities and they don’t have to share with other island delegates. She said this is an important issue for the delegation, so that delegates can stay together in one area.

Thomas said the Kanana Fou complex is a good accommodation site. “It’s an ideal area with a lot of space,” he said.

Both Mitchell and Thomas said in a brief interview that there is a need to make sure there is a media center for the festival and they have discussed this with the organizing committee, which is well aware of this issue.

Thomas said a media center and a media liaison officer is an important and required component of the festival.