New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou officially attend the opening of first building of Vanuatu’s National University in Port Vila on 8 December 2023. Photo: Government of New Caledonia
University of Vanuatu's first building officially opened
The first building of what is to develop into Vanuatu's first national university has been officially opened early December during a ceremony attended by French representatives and New Caledonia's President Louis Mapou, who have also contributed financially to the project.
The funding comes within the framework of a "regional cooperation" agreement between France, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, New Caledonia government said in a release.
The building provides room for administration services, a 40-seat classroom, a cafeteria and a 100-seat amphitheatre bearing the name of "Amphitheatre Louis Mapou".
"This is in recognition for France and New Caledonia's contribution to the opening of this university", Vanuatu PM Salwai said in a speech.
Vanuatu's capital Port Vila also hosts the second biggest campus (Emalus Campus) of regional University of the South Pacific (USP), which is headquartered in the Fiji capital Suva.
21st International Pacific Film Festival in Papeete
The 21st International Pacific Film Festival (FIFO, Festival International du film océanien) will be held in French Polynesia's capital Papeete from 2 to 11 February 2024, organisers of the event have announced.
The [www.fifotahiti.com FIFO], which celebrated its twentieth anniversary last year, has announced a rich and diverse list of competitors coming from around the Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii and Timor Leste).
The selection includes ten films in competition, 13 not competing, 7 short documentaries and thirteen short fictions.
They are dealing with various issues such as environmental impact of climate change in the Pacific, nuclear, identity, history, tradition, arts and violence.
Prizes will be awarded by a seven member international jury (chaired by New Zealand Maori director-producer Briar Grace-Smith), but a special prize will also be reserved to the public's choice.
Festival coordinator Laura Théron said one of the good news this year is that in terms of attendance from local viewers in participating local theatres, FIFO is now back to pre-Covid levels
The 21st International Oceanian Film Festival (FIFO) official poster. Photo: Supplied
New Caledonia-born video game gets top award
A video game conceived in New Caledonia has early December received one of the top awards in the "Games for Impact" category.
The distinction was part of the Game Awards 2023 ceremony in Los Angeles and was specifically rewarding video games making a difference while promoting environmental, cultural or ethnic values.
"Tchia", launched in March 2023 and designed by New Caledonia's small studio Awaceb, sold over a million copies within the following six weeks.
At the Game Awards 2023, it received acclaim from the voting public.
The environment of the game accords a prominent place to New Caledonia's biodiversity and indigenous Kanak culture, Tchia being the name of the small Kanak central character, a small girl who is confronted with western societies' industrialisation and pollution.
"We are so proud. This is just the perfect award for us, because this is exactly what we are about", Awaceb co-founder Philippe Crifo told public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la 1ère.
A screen capture from New Caledonia’s award-winning game 'Tchia'. Photo: Studio Awaceb
French army transport relief
A French Nouméa-based military "CASA" plane unexpectedly came to the rescue of over a hundred Wallisians and Futunians who had been stranded for days because of inter-island flight transport shortage.
French armed forces in New Caledonia (FANC) Commander General Yann Latil was in Wallis-and-Futuna (near Fiji) early December as part of his first visit to the French Pacific territory, a few weeks after he took office at his base of Nouméa, New Caledonia.
Aboard the small transport CASA plane, he and his staff were there to introduce themselves to local authorities.
But his visit coincided with a major transport issue: inter-island commercial flights between the two islands were at the time gravely disrupted, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded on either Wallis or Futuna.
The French officer then decided to lend the CASA to transport the stranded passengers to and from Wallis, for the duration of his stay there, at a pace of four rotations per day.
French armed forces commander for New Caledonia General Yann Latil’s CASA plane on Wallis Matautu airport. Photo: Wallis et Futuna la 1ère