Who paid the air fares?

letters

The Arts Festival In Papeete

I am among the happy few in Tahiti who can read English. I can tell you I am very often annoyed and offended because everything reported in your magazine on French Polynesia is seen through an outsider’s distorting eyes. I am hinting at Bengt Danielsson who apparently can’t help warping facts and events.

For instance, in his article entitled Flosse’s French Festival (PIM Sept.), he belittled the effort made by the local govern ment by asserting that the French Government supported all foreign delegations, which was absolutely false because the Council of Pacific Arts held in Papeete last February de cided to create a fund, man aged by the South Pacific Com mission, to help small countries meet the extra cost of air transport due to the change of venue.

Financial contributions amounting to SUSI3O,OOO were made by France, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, USA and UNESCO. This was of course little when compared to the tremendous budget of the festival, which was justified by the extraordinary circumst ances. Danielsson mentioned it, but it was necessary to add: without France’s help.

In spite of some obvious defects, the festival was a real success and therefore I pay tribute to Victor Carrell for recognising it as such in another PIM article. Which country could have staged such a festi val in four months and made available so much money on its own?

Mr Danielsson takes any opportunity to vent his anti- French feelings. He can’t bear the idea that the people of French Polynesia democratical ly choose to maintain their relationships with France. As a foreigner enjoying our prosper-

ity, he should not interfere and give a false image of our coun try. In some countries of the Pacific, newspaper correspon dents have been ousted for less than that.

It is not fair of him when he asserts wrongly that five Pacific countries refused to participate in the festival out of solidarity with the FLNKS, and that there was no murmur of protest in Tahiti when an anti-independ ence delegation came from New Caledonia. On the con trary, at the opening ceremony, the New Caledonian delegation received a big hand from the crowd because it was com posed of 90 per cent of Melane sians who meant to demons trate in front of all the Pacific people that they don’t share the separatist views of the FLNKS.

I have decided to respond whenever Bengt Danielsson writes falsehoods in future.

J. Taumihau

Papeete, Tahiti

Kanak dancers of New Caledonia rehearse for the Festival of South Pacific Arts that never was - the one due to be held in Noumea in December, 1984. The festival’s transfer to Papeete, French Polynesia, in July this year is still a source of controversy.