Malaga—The Journey: The Performing Arts as Motivational Tool for Pasifika Students in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

In 2009, the musical work Malaga: The Journey, based on the journeys of Pacific peoples to Aotearoa New Zealand, was staged in the city of Porirua. Involving a large group of predominantly Pasifika students from three local secondary schools, the aim of the project was to encourage and motivate students to achieve better educational outcomes, and affirm positive notions of Pacific identities. Using these objectives as a starting point, this article presents a personal observational ethnography of the two weeks leading up to the shows, highlighting how these themes were incorporated into the rehearsal space and reflected in the work itself. Ending with anecdotes from those most closely involved in bringing Malaga to the stage, it suggests not only that the show was successful but also adds to discourses around the value of performing arts and culture in wider educational contexts.

Polyfest–Polysuccess: Collaborative critical autoethnographic reflections of Pacific cultural festivals and the success of Pacific students in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…To this day, the value and usefulness of Polyfest as an activity for students to invest their time and energy in is debated by families, teachers and school administrations. This stance is comprehensively refuted by research that indicates the importance of Pacific culture as a source of curriculum content and fundamental for developing equity for the achievement of Pacific learners (Hunter et al, 2016;Kana'iaupuni et al, 2017;Mackley-Crump, 2011;Mila-Schaaf & Robinson, 2010; Polyfest-Polysuccess 5 Ethnographic Edge, Volume 5, Issue 2, 2022 Nakhid, 2003). All three of the case studies that follow confirm the research to give personal voice to the enactment of this through the mechanism of the Polyfest.…”

“…The opportunity to share culture and to have cultural identity recognised and valued is a vital part of the festival. The performances themselves, as the climax of the Polyfest experience for the cultural groups that have entered, are always a time of immense pride, joy and satisfaction (Mackley-Crump, 2011, 2013Williams, 2022;Wood & Homolja, 2021). In addition, these opportunities can also be coupled with academic recognition for the various aspects of Polyfest that students are participating in.…”

Oceanic imaginaries in film and development: lenses of collaboration

“…'festivalisation' (Mackley-Crump, 2011). Such work has provided insight into how Oceanian communities living in the diaspora connect to their 'homelands' and highlights the importance of festivals spaces as places of regional connection.…”

“…Despite national governments providing relatively little in terms of support for the cultural sector or for cultural practices, the performance of culture at regional festivals is an important aspect for the articulation of both national and regional identities. The significance of this has been recognised in recent years, by a proliferation of literature which examines the importance of festival spaces to cultural expression, practice and exchange in Oceania (Kornelly, 2008, Mackley-Crump, 2011. The growth in such festival spaces has been called…”