VANUATU’s participation in the Indonesia–Pacific Cultural Synergy 2025 has reinforced its commitment to cultural diplomacy, sustainable development, and creative industry growth.
Vanuatu Cultural Centre Senior Officer, Sikadra Nellie Tovosia, said the forum provided an important platform for Vanuatu to showcase its identity while forging strategic partnerships.
“For Vanuatu, our goal in coming to IPACS was to strengthen cultural diplomacy, build regional ties, and highlight the richness of our traditional heritage,” she said.
“Our languages, crafts, dances, and ancestral knowledge remain central to who we are and to how we shape our development.”
She said culture is not just symbolic but deeply tied to Vanuatu’s resilience as a climate-vulnerable nation.
“Framing culture as a pillar of sustainable development is critical for Vanuatu,” she said.
“It allows us to push development pathways that protect our identity while helping our people adapt and thrive.”
Tovosia also noted growing economic opportunities through the Pacific’s creative industries, especially with IPACS calling for innovative cultural products with market value.
“We see real potential in expanding our creative economy crafts, performance arts, cultural tourism, all in ways that are both authentic and economically meaningful,” she said.
‘We are taking home stronger partnerships.’’
Asked what she would take back to Port Vila, Tovosia said Vanuatu left the forum with new knowledge, stronger relationships, and practical pathways for cultural development.
“We are taking home stronger partnerships, new knowledge, and practical opportunities for growing our cultural and creative industries,” she said.
“Most importantly, we take home a shared regional commitment to culture as a driver of resilience and sustainability in Vanuatu.”
IPACS 2025 signalled clear intentions for long-term cooperation.
“This residency network opens the door for long-term exchanges for our artists to learn in Indonesia and for Indonesian practitioners to work with our communities,” she said.
“There is huge potential in co-creation, co-training, and co-marketing cultural products across the region.”
She said future partnerships may also include student exchanges, academic cooperation, and creative-industry training programs.
A call for deeper Melanesian connections
Reflecting on the forum overall, Tovosia praised the spirit of regional unity.
“IPACS has shown that culture is not just who we are, it is a powerful driver of development, unity, and innovation,” she said.
“We have seen how heritage, traditional knowledge, and creative industries can support economic growth, well-being, and environmental stewardship.”
Tovosia said Vanuatu is particularly encouraged by commitments to long-term collaboration, including capacity-building programs and cultural exchanges.
She concluded with a call for strengthened Melanesian ties, including the people of West Papua.
“As Melanesians, we share deep historical, cultural, and geographical connections,” she said.
“In Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, we enjoy visa-free mobility that supports friendship and development. In this same spirit, I respectfully appeal to the Government of Indonesia to extend similar freedoms to the people of West Papua.”
“By opening these opportunities movement, education, resources, and economic participation, Indonesia will further strengthen trust and understanding across all Melanesian communities.”