Struggle For Banaban Rights Told Through Auckland Art Exhibit

- Dates: 20 February to 9 March 2023

- Special event: 2 March at 7pm. Spokespeople from the Banaban community will be available for interviews. Register for tickets here.

- Location: Silo 6, Jellicoe Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010

The forced displacement of the Banaban community and their ongoing human rights struggles will be on display at a new art exhibition titled "Justice for Rabi: The Story of Banaba".

In the mid-20th century, hundreds of Banabans were displaced from Banaba Island to Fiji’s Rabi Island due to the devastating impacts of phosphate mining. Today, Banabans on Rabi continue to face discrimination as a partially self-governing entity falling between the cracks of Fiji and Kiribati. Their stories remain largely unheard in Aotearoa New Zealand, where the benefits of mining allowed the British to advance their colonisation and kickstart New Zealand’s agricultural sector.

From 20 February to 9 March, Silo 6 will host artwork from the Banaban community which highlights their culture and history. The works include handicrafts, photos and videos. On 2 March, there will be a special event featuring honoured guests from Rabi, live Banaban dance performances and storytelling. The exhibit provides a platform for the Banaban community to highlight their demands for the governments of Fiji and Kiribati. Their story also offers urgent lessons for the impending displacement in the region caused by climate change.

Background

This exhibit is produced by Katja Phutaraksa Neef, a political artist and master’s student at the University of Auckland. Katja was selected as one of last year’s winners of the Gary Ware Legacy Award, a youth funding programme delivered by Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand. Launched in 2020, the award is made possible by the generous support of the Ware family, facilitated by the Acorn Foundation, who provide up to $4000 each year. Katja’s co-designed and co-led project will create a platform to celebrate Banaban culture and raise awareness of the human rights violations faced by Banaban communities.

"To this day, the impacts of displacement are felt by Banaban communities, both on Rabi Island and in Auckland, who have lost their land, their language, their culture - and who cannot be forgotten. For too long, this story has been a little-known blood stain on New Zealand’s history", says Neef.

The research student and UNESCO youth leader visited Rabi Island, where she met with Banaban elders, women, and young people to record stories, photographs, songs, and dances related to what it means to be Banaban from their perspective.

"We were granted permission by the elders to share their stories on the condition that we share them with the world," Neef says.

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