Exhibition - Vanuatu - Pouvoirs des femmes

Vanuatu: Powers of Women is an event on two counts: the rarity of the subject and the novel approach. The last major exhibition on Vanuatu dates back to 1996. It was hosted by the Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie in Paris, the Museum of Cultures in Basel, the Centre culturel Jean-Marie Tjibaou in Nouméa and the Centre culturel du Vanuatu in Port-Vila. In La Rochelle, the exhibition is devoted to women from a number of angles: their place in traditional cultures, the way they are viewed by men, their role in transmitting identity and redefining it in a world in transition, their involvement in resistance during the colonial period and in the struggle for independence.

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands and islets in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. Characterized by a wealth of flora and fauna, it also boasts considerable cultural diversity. More than 130 different languages are spoken here. Subjected to regular meteorological disasters, it has shown great resilience. Custom: kastom in the national language, federates the nation. It structures relations between men and women, with specific, complementary roles. Until about thirty years ago, it was accepted that male representation in the public, political and sacred spheres placed women in the background. Researchers have since emphasized their power in preserving custom and their ability to adapt in the face of various natural, economic and societal changes. This is what the exhibition is all about.

Vanuatu: Women's Power is organized around seven major themes: from the archipelago's identity to women's power, creation, resilience and ceremonies, all examined from the different perspectives of archaeology, ethnography, history and contemporary art. It brings together some one hundred objects, works of art, historical and contemporary photographs and videos, from collections in La Rochelle, the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac in Paris, the Basel Museum of Cultures, the Musée Hèbre in Rochefort-sur-Mer, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Chartres, and private collections.


Conceived on the initiative of Élise Patole-Edoumba, Curator of a heritage institution, Director of the Museums of Art and History and the Museum of Natural History in La Rochelle, and Curator of the exhibition, and Vanuatu-born Francklyne Bong, doctoral student in the sociology of tourism at the University of Angers, Associate Curator, the exhibition draws on the collection of the museum in La Rochelle, the second largest in France after that of the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac. A dozen international scientists have been involved.

This exhibition has been designated of national interest. As such, it receives the support of the Ministry of Culture / DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine.