The people of Are’Are are crying foul over what is being seen as identity theft over the selection of two pan-pipe groups from two other societies to represent the country in the upcoming 12th FOPA in Guam.
In essence, the art of pan-pipe music, which originates from Are’Are, will be showcased by two groups from two cultures, who cannot claim ownership of the art, instead of one from the place of originality – Are’Are.
A concerned Are’Are man, who requested anonymity, says that the decision of the Culture Division to select two groups that are not from Are’Are to showcase the traditional art of pan-pipe is a slap on the face for all Are’Are people.
He says that instead of picking groups from where the art originates from, the Culture Division opted to pick two groups who are in reality copy-cat groups from South Malaita and Makira Province.
The Are’Are man admits that over the years pan-pipe music has spread across the country as awareness and culture sharing began among the people of Solomon Islands after the nation’s independence.
However, he reiterates the importance and significance of originality, identity and the idea of copyright, saying that the shared art does not mean that the right of ownership of the art has also been shared.
“Are’Are reserves the sole right of the art of pan-pipe music because we are the original creators and practitioners of the art. It is a component of Are’Are tradition and culture. It is from the Are’Are society that pan-pipe music originated.
“For these two selected local pan-pipe groups, they must accept that they have stolen Are’Are culture and tradition and will showcase it to the world as if it is theirs.
“On the same note, it also shows they don’t know their own culture and are copying other peoples’ culture and displaying it to the world claiming it to be their own. Shameful really.
“For us the people of Are’Are, these two pan-pipe groups being selected implies that we the people of Are’Are do not know our culture hence the selection of these two groups. It is a slap on our face,” he says.
He emphasises that each cultural group of Solomon Islands has its own culture, and it is only fitting that each cultural group selected showcase their own original culture and not that of another.
Director of Culture Division under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, when contacted regarding the issue, said that selection of pan-pipe music to represent the country in the FOPA was made on the merit of fairness among pan-pipe groups in the country.
Dennis Marita said that he considered the originality of pan-pipe music in the country that is why he picked a pan-pipe group from South Malaita to represent the country in this festival, along with another group from Makira Province.
“The point here is fairness, because in 2013 a cultural pan-pipe group from Are’Are had represented the country in the Melanesian Arts Festival in Port Moresby, PNG.
“So to make it fair among the pan-pipe groups in the country, I considered taking up these two groups to represent the country in this upcoming FOPA,” he said.
The two pan-pipe groups to represent the country in this FOPA are Alaiheuarahie pan pipers from South Malaita and a pan-pipe group from Haununu side in Makira Province.
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