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Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta, TAFEA Kaljoral Senta (TKS), Emeritus add
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Tanna, Vanuatu, Melanesian Religions, Millenarianism, Cargo Cults, Anthropology, and 42 moreOceania (Anthropology), Anthropology of Time, Political Anthropology, Melanesia (Anthropology), Ritual, Ritual (Anthropology), Identity politics, Vanuatu kastom and modernity, Monetization, Anthropology of Tourism, Nationalism And State Building, History of Nationalism and Nation-Building, Ethnicity, Intellectual Property, Culture, State, Religion, Migration, Displacement, Oral Traditions, Gender, Borders and Borderlands, Minorities, Language politics, Refugees, Refugee memory, Intellectual Property Law, The History of Print, Authorship, Globalization, Critical Theory, Cultural Economy, Political Economy, Material Culture, Copyright Law, Aestheticization of Culture, Commoditization of Culture, Neo Ritualization, Nagol, Land Dive, Monetarization, and Anthropology of Religion edit
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Marc Tabani graduated in Anthropology from Paul Valery Montpellier-III and Paris-X Nanterre Universities. Research fe... moreMarc Tabani graduated in Anthropology from Paul Valery Montpellier-III and Paris-X Nanterre Universities. Research fellow at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, he is also the Director of the Centre de Recherche et de Documentation sur l'Océanie (CREDO) in Marseille. edit
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This article presents ethnographie material and anthropological insights on the development of Islam in Vanuatu, where it has been studied even less than elsewhere in Melanesia. ln Papua New Guinea, the Salomon Islands and Vanuatu, where... more
This article presents ethnographie material and anthropological insights on the development of Islam in Vanuatu, where it has been studied even less than elsewhere in Melanesia. ln Papua New Guinea, the Salomon Islands and Vanuatu, where dominant collective identities are firmly rooted in Christianity, converts to Islam remain few in number. In Vanuatu the Church authorities have nonetheless felt the need to reassert Christianity's hegemony nationally as a counter to the supposed advance of Islam. Also kastom, a widespread term for a specific local traditional heritage and an original way of living, has once again been invoked in recent debates on the politics of religious identity in Vanuatu. The aim of this article is to describe the conflicting arguments that people use in conceptualizing the moral or political aspects that show Islam to be culturally compatible or otherwise with Christianity and kastom on the island. I will examine how categories of continuity and change corne to reinforce ideological discourses on the ability of Islam to conform to past Melanesian experiments in indigenizing foreign cultural influences.
The case of Tanna in the south of Vanuatu will receive special attention. On this island, millenarian visions of a New World Order compete with local Muslims' interpretations of Islam. Older kastom social movements, having already experimented with ruptures from Christianity, like the famous John Frum movement, also participate in the construction of discourses on the continuity between kastom and Islam.
The case of Tanna in the south of Vanuatu will receive special attention. On this island, millenarian visions of a New World Order compete with local Muslims' interpretations of Islam. Older kastom social movements, having already experimented with ruptures from Christianity, like the famous John Frum movement, also participate in the construction of discourses on the continuity between kastom and Islam.
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Lush tropical scenery of evergreen flora surrounded by turquoise-blue coral gardens. Smiling, healthy and athletic people consuming real food and living in perfect harmony with their natural environment. No cars, no telephone nor... more
Lush tropical scenery of evergreen flora surrounded by turquoise-blue coral gardens. Smiling, healthy and athletic people consuming real food and living in perfect harmony with their natural environment. No cars, no telephone nor internet, no air conditioning, no tourists.
This is the scene set by Australian filmmakers Martin Butler and Bentley Dean for their exotic romance movie, Tanna, which takes place on the island of the same name. Tanna may look like paradise but the film’s protagonists deal with a serious problem: true love and one of its most fatal consequences, to die of a broken heart.
Having done anthropological fieldwork on Tanna over a period of 25 years, I have been invited to attend public screenings of the film, in order to contextualise the life of the actors who appear in it.
In discussions with audiences, my comments about real-life Tanna always provoked the same refrain: “the dream has been shattered”. The fact is that the tribal groups featured in the movie have been among the most filmed and also the most visited by tourists.
Like other Tannese people they have mobile phones, drive cars, watch movies and football games, eat rice and instant noodles. Those who migrate to the capital of Vanuatu, Port-Vila, often live in slums and work as security guards.
However, when they live on their home island, they still maintain relative autonomy. There, money is not yet the most important good, so people are glad participate in the shooting of a movie. That’s why the end result is pretty good.
This story, set in a remote corner of the world, has become a world success. Sadly, since the movie was shot, Cyclone Pam has very severely damaged the island.
After the disaster, there are no more leaves on trees and of course no more fruit, no more food, no more traditional houses, and perhaps no more smiling people ready to participate in a cinematic adventure about tropical paradise.
This is the scene set by Australian filmmakers Martin Butler and Bentley Dean for their exotic romance movie, Tanna, which takes place on the island of the same name. Tanna may look like paradise but the film’s protagonists deal with a serious problem: true love and one of its most fatal consequences, to die of a broken heart.
Having done anthropological fieldwork on Tanna over a period of 25 years, I have been invited to attend public screenings of the film, in order to contextualise the life of the actors who appear in it.
In discussions with audiences, my comments about real-life Tanna always provoked the same refrain: “the dream has been shattered”. The fact is that the tribal groups featured in the movie have been among the most filmed and also the most visited by tourists.
Like other Tannese people they have mobile phones, drive cars, watch movies and football games, eat rice and instant noodles. Those who migrate to the capital of Vanuatu, Port-Vila, often live in slums and work as security guards.
However, when they live on their home island, they still maintain relative autonomy. There, money is not yet the most important good, so people are glad participate in the shooting of a movie. That’s why the end result is pretty good.
This story, set in a remote corner of the world, has become a world success. Sadly, since the movie was shot, Cyclone Pam has very severely damaged the island.
After the disaster, there are no more leaves on trees and of course no more fruit, no more food, no more traditional houses, and perhaps no more smiling people ready to participate in a cinematic adventure about tropical paradise.
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Marc Tabani, Islam of Tannese Muslims (Vanuatu). — As religious belief, cultural construct and social world, Islam has long remained unknown to many South Pacific societies. In densely populated Melanesian countries like Papua New Guinea,... more
Marc Tabani, Islam of Tannese Muslims
(Vanuatu). — As religious belief, cultural
construct and social world, Islam has long
remained unknown to many South Pacific
societies. In densely populated Melanesian
countries like Papua New Guinea, the
Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, that have,
since their independence, concentrated on
constructing national identities firmly rooted
in Christianity, the introduction of Islam
needs be studied as a specifically postcolonial
phenomenon. In Vanuatu, after several decades
of sovereignty, the political and religious authorities
of this country have nonetheless felt the
need to reassert Christianity’s hegemony at the
national level. However, due to the magnitude
of the cultural consequences of globalization
and secularization, the people of Vanuatu
are going through social upheavals which are
coupled with a moral crisis among the traditional
Christian denominations, confronted
by the growing success of neo-Evangelical and
Pentecostal churches. Converting to Islam,
in such a context, is a religious innovation
of special interest for social science specialists
since, in Vanuatu, this study involves
debates on the politics of culture and identity.
What is at stake in this issue is the ability of
Islam to conform, or not, to past Melanesian
experiences in indigenizing foreign cultural
influences. The aim of this article is to analyze
the reasons for adhering to this new offer on
the « religion market », in certain contexts, and
in particular, on the island of Tanna, despite
a deep mistrust of Islam.
(Vanuatu). — As religious belief, cultural
construct and social world, Islam has long
remained unknown to many South Pacific
societies. In densely populated Melanesian
countries like Papua New Guinea, the
Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, that have,
since their independence, concentrated on
constructing national identities firmly rooted
in Christianity, the introduction of Islam
needs be studied as a specifically postcolonial
phenomenon. In Vanuatu, after several decades
of sovereignty, the political and religious authorities
of this country have nonetheless felt the
need to reassert Christianity’s hegemony at the
national level. However, due to the magnitude
of the cultural consequences of globalization
and secularization, the people of Vanuatu
are going through social upheavals which are
coupled with a moral crisis among the traditional
Christian denominations, confronted
by the growing success of neo-Evangelical and
Pentecostal churches. Converting to Islam,
in such a context, is a religious innovation
of special interest for social science specialists
since, in Vanuatu, this study involves
debates on the politics of culture and identity.
What is at stake in this issue is the ability of
Islam to conform, or not, to past Melanesian
experiences in indigenizing foreign cultural
influences. The aim of this article is to analyze
the reasons for adhering to this new offer on
the « religion market », in certain contexts, and
in particular, on the island of Tanna, despite
a deep mistrust of Islam.
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Nearly twenty years after the publication of Chiefs Today: Traditional Pacific Leadership and the Colonial State, edited by Lamont Lindstrom and Geoffrey White (1997), this article extends and updates coverage of earlier discussions... more
Nearly twenty years after the publication of Chiefs Today: Traditional Pacific Leadership and the Colonial State, edited by Lamont Lindstrom and Geoffrey White (1997), this article extends and updates coverage of earlier discussions concerning local and national codifications of authority in the Pacific region and the relation of contemporary “chiefs” and other leaders with state bureaucracies. I address this topic through an analysis of the challenges faced in Vanuatu, since independence, by the attempt to design bureaucratic structures that build on indigenous systems of authority. Looking at the historical and contemporary situation of the Tannese society in the south of the archipelago, I observe the political history and transformation of chiefly status on Tanna, and how local actors in this island have manipulated leadership possibilities (and other aspects of local kastom), partly by drawing on outside resources and connections. This case study also connects with other issues including the ongoing transformation of the roles of local political leaders, global connections linking small Pacific Islands with metropolitan actors, and disputes over cultural property and cultural appropriation.
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RÉSUMÉ L'île de Tanna a attiré plusieurs générations de réalisateurs de films. La plupart ont été immanquablement fascinés par l'histoire de John Frum, un personnage surnaturel dont les prophéties ont donné naissance, au cours de la... more
RÉSUMÉ L'île de Tanna a attiré plusieurs générations de réalisateurs de films. La plupart ont été immanquablement fascinés par l'histoire de John Frum, un personnage surnaturel dont les prophéties ont donné naissance, au cours de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, à un vaste mouvement indigène de protestation sociale. Cet article examine comment ces productions cinéma-tographiques, en présentant le mouvement John Frum comme une parfaite expression des mystérieux « cultes du cargo » du Pacifique, ont activement contribué à façonner l'image de l'île et de ses habitants. L'analyse des ces influences portera égale-ment sur la perception, par les gens de Tanna, des films tour-nés chez eux, depuis qu'eux-mêmes sont devenus spectateurs, acteurs ou réalisateurs de ce type de productions audiovisuelles.
ABSTRACT The island of Tanna has attracted successive generations of filmmakers. Most of them have been invariably fascinated by the story of John Frum, a supernatural figure whose prophecies gave rise during World War Two to a huge indigenous movement of social protest. This paper analyses how these productions, through presenting the John Frum movement as a perfect expression the weird South Pacific "cargo cults", actively contributed to shape the image of Tanna and its inhabitants for a worldwide audience. An analyze of these influences will also focus on how this films are perceived by the Tannese, since they themselves became spectators, actors and producers in this film-making process.
ABSTRACT The island of Tanna has attracted successive generations of filmmakers. Most of them have been invariably fascinated by the story of John Frum, a supernatural figure whose prophecies gave rise during World War Two to a huge indigenous movement of social protest. This paper analyses how these productions, through presenting the John Frum movement as a perfect expression the weird South Pacific "cargo cults", actively contributed to shape the image of Tanna and its inhabitants for a worldwide audience. An analyze of these influences will also focus on how this films are perceived by the Tannese, since they themselves became spectators, actors and producers in this film-making process.
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Repeated signs of a large-scale rebellion on the South Pacific island of Tanna (Vanuatu) appeared in 1941. Civil disobedience was expressed through reference to a prophetic figure named John Frum. In order to repress this... more
Repeated signs of a large-scale rebellion on the South Pacific island of Tanna (Vanuatu) appeared in 1941. Civil disobedience was expressed through reference to a prophetic figure named John Frum. In order to repress this politico-religious movement, categorized later as a cargo cult in the anthropological literature, the British administration accumulated thousands of pages of surveillance notes, reports and commentaries. This article proposes an introduction to the existence of these documents known as the ‘John Frum files’, which were classified as confidential until the last few years. The presentation of this body of documentation follows Ann Stoler’s injunction to study colonial archives not only as data sources but also as an ethnographic subject in its own right. An ethnographic overview of the John Frum files will contribute to recent debates among anthropologists about ‘cargo cult archives’ and how their colonial authors in Tanna and John Frum cultists were inextricably bound up with one another.
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The John Frum ceremonies organized every 15th February since 1957 on Tanna have been considered an invented tradition by their first instigators. Later on, their successors claimed that this event symbolized the « salvage of their custom... more
The John Frum ceremonies organized every 15th February since 1957 on Tanna have been considered an invented tradition by their first instigators. Later on, their successors claimed that this event symbolized the « salvage of their custom ». Initially launched as a ritualization process of foreign cultural expressions, with the purpose of legitimating new spiritual directions, this event has taken a more political and secularized dimension in the post-colonial period. Analyzing this historical transition offers an opportunity to situate it within a broader anthropological discussion about cultural continuity and the indigenization of modernity.
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This paper addresses two significant features of increasing commodification of the life-style, environments and ceremonial events of rural people in post-colonial Vanuatu: the growing economic importance of tourism, especially in... more
This paper addresses two significant features of increasing commodification of the life-style, environments and ceremonial events of rural people in post-colonial Vanuatu: the growing economic importance of tourism, especially in Vanuatu; and the various and novel political and economic uses of island ‘kastom’. A short history of the development of tourism on the island of Tanna shows that even locally managed tourist activities can lead to division, instability and inequality of wealth among villagers. On Pentecost, the commercial exploitation of huge traditional ceremonies is even more deleterious since it contributes to the weakening of the people’s symbolic identification with their culture and to their traditions (kastom) becoming merely a saleable commodity. The monetisation of rural communities stands at the core of this transformation and degradation of traditional rural life, since it encourages land grabbing and wage employment and transforms peasants into impoverished workers in exile in their own lands.
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Paper proposals are now invited for the panels listed below, each of which has space for approximately ten papers (with a minimum of 5 papers for each panel to take place). ESfO conference paper submissions are managed electronically and... more
Paper proposals are now invited for the panels listed below, each of which has space for approximately ten papers (with a minimum of 5 papers for each panel to take place). ESfO conference paper submissions are managed electronically and delegates should submit the abstract of their paper to the relevant panel through the conference website: https://www.pacific-studies.net/conferences/esfo2017 To do so, they will first need to be registered at www.pacific-studies.net. Delegates are asked to state in their profile their institutional affiliation since this will be included in the conference programme. Panel organizers will automatically receive an email message when delegates submit an abstract. The abstract should include your name, affiliation, a title and a paper proposal that should not exceed 200 words. Delegates will be able to register, book accommodation and the conference dinner, and make payments through the conference website. Delegates are reminded that registration and the acceptance of a paper will be separate matters. Please note that poster proposals are also welcome and should be sent to: esfo2017@esfo-org.eu. If you experience problems in the process of submission of your paper proposal, please email also to esfo2017@esfo-org.eu. Conference Theme – Experiencing Pacific Environments People in Oceania experience diverse life-worlds undergoing profound transformations. Migration, urbanisation, religious movements, resource extraction, and climate change, as well as new technologies like the internet and mobile phones, are just some of the recent changes that are reconfiguring Pacific environments. Pacific lives have always featured mobilities, networks and relatedness, but the contemporary era lends these experiences new qualities and meanings. Experiencing Pacific environments presents new research challenges: How are Pacific life-worlds created and experienced through interactions between human and other-than-human entities? How are experiences and environments reconstituted in times of spatial and temporal reconfigurations? The theme of the 11th conference of the European Society for Oceanists encourages participants to discuss these questions by examining the concrete empirical realities of the Pacific. We propose viewing these human and other-than-human 'experiences' as embedded in, and lived in relation to, specific 'environments'. The 'environment' is understood in its broadest sense – encompassing land, water, climate, material things, social, political, and economic formations and spaces, or architectural settings, engineered landscapes and urban worlds. In what ways are these environments specifically 'Pacific', and are there 'Pacific' ways of experiencing environments? To address these questions, the cultural-geographic label 'Pacific' is broadened beyond the territorial confines of Oceania to include Pacific interventions and presences in other contexts and regions such as through film, media, museums, performative arts, tourism, or trade and political relations. We aim to produce innovative insights into experiences of Pacific environments, and to contribute to an adjustment and refinement of our analytical lenses and vocabularies. With this goal in mind, we invite interdisciplinary dialogues between anthropology, art history, archaeology, biology, geography, history, linguistics, media studies, political science, and other fields. With this conference, we hope to shape a better understanding of Pacific life-worlds, and, through this, to make a meaningful impact upon academic theory building and political decision-making. Pacific environments and Pacific experiences, diverse and transformed, homely or risky, are in question.
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L’aide au développement à Vanuatu est régulièrement décriée comme inefficace ; échec fréquemment imputé à l’instabilité politique et à la corruption. L’imposition, par des instances internationales, d’orientations économiques... more
L’aide au développement à Vanuatu est régulièrement décriée comme inefficace ; échec fréquemment imputé à l’instabilité politique et à la corruption. L’imposition, par des instances internationales, d’orientations économiques néolibérales, et la généralisation des rapports marchands au sein des communautés rurales, incitent des puissances bailleuses de fonds à vouloir y rationnaliser la marchandisation des terres, sous prétexte de mieux l’encadrer. L’histoire des conflits fonciers à Vanuatu nous éclaire sur la formulation indigéniste de leurs revendications ou cours de la lutte pour l’indépendance. Depuis, la relance d’un processus postcolonial d’accaparement des terres, s’accompagne désormais de pressions « anti-coutu- mières », même lorsque celles-ci continuent de se draper dans la rhétorique de la kastom.
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This volume brings together a collection of anthropological papers first presented in ASAO sessions in 2009 (Santa Cruz) and 2010 (Alexandria). It includes several ethnographic cases and historical information on a topic of enduring... more
This volume brings together a collection of anthropological papers first presented in ASAO sessions in 2009 (Santa Cruz) and 2010 (Alexandria). It includes several ethnographic cases and historical information on a topic of enduring interest in Pacific studies and anthropology: “cargo cults”. Contributors highlight the history of the concept as well as how contemporary movements articulate world-views, political awareness, material desire, and even critique the now globalized concept of cargo-cult itself. The chapters offer different stories of cult activities, and provide arguments about the entanglement of Western desire for both cargo and cults with these Melanesian visions of how they can create a prosperous future for themselves. As the authors make clear, decades of ethnographic work in postcolonial Melanesia have produced strong recognition of the diversity of unruly phenomena once encompassed under the label “cargo cult”. Drawing on his fieldwork experience on Tanna, Tabani’s introduction reviews the issues that characterize current theorizing in relation to cargo cults and the directions that different authors have chosen in their own analytical work.
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Cet article retrace l’histoire politique Nagriamel dans l’île de Santo à Vanuatu et vise à expliquer, à travers l’examen d’éléments biographiques relatifs à son leader charismatique Jimmy Stevens, les dérives traditionalistes de ce... more
Cet article retrace l’histoire politique Nagriamel dans l’île de Santo à Vanuatu et vise à expliquer, à travers l’examen d’éléments biographiques relatifs à son leader charismatique Jimmy Stevens, les dérives traditionalistes de ce mouvement. Ce dernier fut le principal artisan de l’unification du « peuple du dark bush » (i.e. les populations isolées de l’intérieur de l’île) sous l’égide d’une coutume (kastom) assemblée de toutes pièces. L’examen du parcours de ce personnage hors du commun qui du statut de boy au service des colons devint un « roi des îles » et « prince » autoproclamé de la « coutume de Santo » et de l’instrumentalisation qu’il fit des revendications nativistes de ses partisans autochtones, sera également l’occasion de revenir sur cette période troublée de l’accession à l’indépendance de la République de Vanuatu.
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Ce livre retrace les grandes étapes d’une forte poussée de fièvre millénariste dans l’île de Tanna (République de Vanuatu), lieu de naissance à la fin des années 1930 du culte de John Frum, l’un des plus célèbres cultes du Cargo... more
Ce livre retrace les grandes étapes d’une forte poussée de fièvre millénariste dans l’île de Tanna (République de Vanuatu), lieu de naissance à la fin des années 1930 du culte de John Frum, l’un des plus célèbres cultes du Cargo mélanésiens. A l’occasion d’une catastrophe naturelle en l’an 2000, les craintes eschatologiques liées au passage du troisième millénaire, ont contribué à déclencher une série d’événements dramatiques, survenant au cours même de l’enquête de terrain. Replaçant dans un tableau historique d’ensemble l’héritage culturel que représente ce mouvement politico-religieux pour ses adeptes, l’auteur souligne l’intérêt du culte de John Frum pour notre compréhension des processus culturels d’adaptation aux réalités complexes et changeantes de la modernité. L’analyse de ce revivalisme millénariste l’amène à contester les anciens schémas anthropologiques qui assimilaient les cultes du Cargo à d’éphémères réactions à la domination coloniale. La remarquable persistance et l’incessant renouvellement des croyances en John Frum démontrent au contraire la capacité de leurs inspirateurs à pérenniser culturellement une quête identitaire et spirituelle des plus originales.
Au début du 20ème siècle, après cinquante ans de présence missionnaire sur l’île de Tanna, les fondements de l’ancienne religion, organisée autour du culte des ancêtres, se trouvèrent sérieusement ébranlés. L’instauration d’un contrôle... more
Au début du 20ème siècle, après cinquante ans de présence missionnaire sur l’île de Tanna, les fondements de l’ancienne religion, organisée autour du culte des ancêtres, se trouvèrent sérieusement ébranlés. L’instauration d’un contrôle colonial contribua également à saper les bases de l’ordre indigène traditionnel. Coincée entre le marteau de la Mission et l’enclume de l’administration coloniale, la coutume était considérée comme étant déclinante par les gens de Tanna. En réponse à ces pressions culturelles, dans une région délaissée du sud-ouest de l’île de Tanna, à Green Point, apparut vers la fin des années 1930 un esprit nommé John Frum. Il vint pour sauver la coutume de Tanna.
Les 28-29-30 août 2012 fut organisé à Port-Vila (Vanuatu) un colloque international intitulé « Cultures, sociétés et environnements à Vanuatu et dans le Pacifique ». Cet événement historique pour le Vanuatu, en ce qu’il est le premier... more
Les 28-29-30 août 2012 fut organisé à Port-Vila (Vanuatu) un colloque international intitulé « Cultures, sociétés et environnements à Vanuatu et dans le Pacifique ». Cet événement historique pour le Vanuatu, en ce qu’il est le premier séminaire scientifique international francophone s’étant déroulé dans cet archipel depuis son indépendance, fut marqué par le sceau de la multidisciplinarité. Ce rassemblement avait pour principal objet d’offrir un large panorama des recherches actuelles dans le Pacifique insulaire, tant dans ses dimensions humaines, sociales, légales et environnementales par des journées de présentations et d'échanges entre chercheurs issus de disciplines relevant du droit, des sciences humaines et sociales et des sciences de l'environnement.
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This volume, bringing together six ethnographic papers and an epilogue first presented at ASAO sessions in 2009 (Santa Cruz) and 2010 (Alexandria), includes a wealth of ethnographic and historical information on a topic of enduring... more
This volume, bringing together six ethnographic papers and an epilogue first presented at ASAO sessions in 2009 (Santa Cruz) and 2010 (Alexandria), includes a wealth of ethnographic and historical information on a topic of enduring interest in Pacific studies and anthropology: cargo cults. These fascinating social phenomena undoubtedly have ongoing relevance for ethnographies of Melanesia. In this collection of papers, we learn about the history of the concept itself as well as how contemporary movements articulate world views, political awareness, material desires and even criticism of the now globalized concept of cargo cult itself. The chapters offer remarkable stories of cult activities and interesting arguments about the entanglement of Western desire for both cargo and cults with these Melanesian visions of how to create a prosperous future for themselves.
Les traditions des sociétés du Pacifique Sud, naguère condamnées comme un monde de Ténèbres par les missionnaires, puis décrites comme moribondes par des générations d’ethnologues, sont aujourd’hui présentées sous l’angle d’une... more
Les traditions des sociétés du Pacifique Sud, naguère condamnées comme un monde de Ténèbres par les missionnaires, puis décrites comme moribondes par des générations d’ethnologues, sont aujourd’hui présentées sous l’angle d’une renaissance culturelle. A Vanuatu, la coutume est devenue, depuis l’indépendance de ce pays, un symbole politique pour la célébration de la mélanésianité. L’auteur se livre à un examen critique du poids idéologique du traditionnalisme dans l’édification nationale du jeune Etat de Vanuatu. Il apporte ainsi une contribution importante au débat, particulièrement animé ces dernières années entre océanistes, sur les questions de l’ethnicité et des traditions inventées.
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Tafea Kaljoral Senta Productions. 57 mn, Réalisation Jacob Kapere et Marc Tabani, Montage Kamil Etul et Kuren Wahe, 2013
Ce film, tourné de 1999 à 2004, retrace toutes les étapes d’une incroyable poussée de fièvre millénariste dans l’île de Tanna (Vanuatu), telle qu’il en a rarement pu être observée par les ethnologues. Dans ce film, les leaders et... more
Ce film, tourné de 1999 à 2004, retrace toutes les étapes d’une incroyable poussée de fièvre millénariste dans l’île de Tanna (Vanuatu), telle qu’il en a rarement pu être observée par les ethnologues. Dans ce film, les leaders et prophètes du mouvement cultuel John Frum (un célèbre culte du Cargo) discutent librement avec l’ethnologue des détails de leurs révélations mystiques, de leurs prophéties, de l’édification d’une arche de Noé, de la fin imminente du monde et de l’attente de « grands avions de l’armée française » qui viendront se poser au milieu de la brousse dans des « aérodromes » que la population a construit exclusivement à cet effet. Ce film montre également un ensemble de rituels syncrétiques, de crises de possessions collectives, de prophétismes thérapeutiques et de préparations extatiques à la venue du Cargo (les biens matériels convoités des Occidentaux).