Solomon Islands DCG Attends Te Aratini Festival at Expo 2020 Dubai

DEPUTY Commissioner General and Pavilion Director, Mr. Dennis Marita, attended the first-ever Te Aratini ‘Festival of Indigenous and Tribal Ideas’, which took place at Expo 2020 Dubai on Wednesday 17th November 2021.

Curated by Māori leaders in partnership with the New Zealand Government, the three-day event will be a movement toward greater inclusion and acceptance of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems and practical know-how across various existing and emerging trade and economic policy areas.

Led by the National Iwi Chairs Forum, a coalition of independent iwi (tribal) chairs, Te Aratini marks a culturally significant moment as the first Indigenous festival in the history of World Expos. New Zealand has collaborated with other participating nations to deliver the event, including the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, Paraguay, and Panama.

Distinguished guests present at the official opening included the UAE’s Minister for Culture, Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Nanaia Mahuta, New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ngahiwi Tomoana, Chairman of Ngati Kahungunu Iwi, and New Zealand’s Commissioner-General to Expo 2020 Mr. Clayton Kimpton.

Mr. Tomoana said that “Te Aratini is not a new vision; it is the vision of our ancestors. We are carrying on that vision as custodians for our future generations” said Ngahiwi Tomoana, Iwi Chairs Forum spokesman and Ngati Kahungunu leader, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest iwi-.

Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi told DCG Marita that the UAE was looking forward to more engagements with the Solomon Islands especially in the areas of Cultural interaction and knowledge exchange.

PRESS RELEASE