OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS - Building peace with culture: Catholic school pupils turn ethnic and cultural differences into enriching theatre

Thursday, 26 February 2004

AFGHANISTAN

2024-04-22
Commemoration of the victims of the Easter attacks: Catholic Church wants to initiate the beatification process of their martyrdom

2024-02-07
Manipur, torn by conflict, tries to reconnect the threads of dialogue

2023-12-04
The Franciscan Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Jinan celebrates the 60th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium, to continue walking on the paths opened by the Second Vatican Council

2023-10-16
Prayer for the reconciliation of the peoples of Israel and Palestine

2022-02-24
Integrating refugees into society: the commitment of the Pro Bambini Association of Kabul

2021-12-18
The Barnabites, with their hearts in Kabul: "Pray for Afghanistan"

Honiara (Fides Service) - Schools and school children are helping to build peace in Solomon Islands with a variety of activities to promote dialogue and reconciliation including theatre. The pupils of St. Joseph’s Catholic School on Tenaru Island have just produced an enriching inter-cultural, inter-ethnic show to promote social harmony and peace.
St. Joseph’s pupils come from various parts of Solomon Islands and they are of many different ethnic origins. Putting together their different cultural traditions in dance, song, and costumes they produced a show which was first performed on 21 February in Tenaru and will now tour the Islands.
Prof. Connelly Sandakabatu, headmaster of St. Joseph’s Catholic told Fides about the initiative: “Art can portray all the beauty of Solomon’s heritage of many different cultural identities and make it a richness to be shared by all. Different cultures must be lived and shared with joy. Our school is convinced that if students and schools learn to recognise and appreciate differences in identity and culture it will help build national harmony, unity and peace. The production of this show has helped our pupils to know and appreciate each other better”.
In his address on the evening of the first performance Headmaster Sandakabatu congratulated the pupils for excellent exam results in 2003 and he thanked them, the teachers and other staff for producing the show which demanded much effort from all involved.
“It was very interesting to see the cultural riches of the different provinces of Solomon Islands”, said Tiko Tikoca, Regional Head of Culture, present at the first performance.
Solomon Islands is emerging from a civil and ethnic conflict which left many persons fearful and traumatised. The local Church has worked hard to offer counselling to help overcome fear and anxiety especially among young people and children still suffering from trauma.
Civil war between ethnic groups started in 1998 and despite a peace agreement in 2000 violence continued. Only the arrival of a peacekeeping force from Australia in 2003 marked the beginning of a gradual return to normality and peace.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides, 26/2/2004 lines 32 words 366)