The Vanuatu Wan Voes Kivhan Festival will take place at Saralana Park in Port Vila on Saturday.
The festival is free and open to the public and it will be streamed live to the world on Vanuatukivhan.com. Participating artists and bands of this year’s Kivhan Festival are thrilled to learn that this year’s theme, endorsed by the Ministry of Climate Change is Wota blong Laef, Water for Life, L’eau pour la Vie.
The Kivhan committee is working closely with Government through the Ministry of Climate Change and NDMO to list areas badly impacted by El Nino and are experiencing heavy drought, or water shortage so all donations (cash and materials) collected during the festival week will be distributed to those areas, as well as complete final phase (3) of 2015-2016 Kivhan milestone project.
Like last year, there will be over 100 local musicians and artists who will perform during the music benefit concert, to join hands, voices, and engage audience in the impacts of Climate Change and El Nino, and provide relief effort for the most affected communities of Vanuatu.
The festival is calling for donations both monetary and material and urgent priority items identified are water filters, tanks, water bottles ie. Vanuatu water, Azure Pure, Nambawan Wota, water pumps, buckets, water containers, any water catchment and supplies equipment with their accessories. All donated materials should be in good useable condition, and donations can be brought to the donations tent at the festival on the day.
The festival will begin on the morning of Saturday 21st May with an opening presentation and speeches from Government and NGO representatives directly involved in relief efforts, organizers of the Kivhan festival, a chief representative, followed by cultural dances.
The music festival will start after lunch with local string bands, gospel bands and groups, followed by contemporary reggae and pop bands featuring prime bands and artists.
Confirmed so far are Smol Fyah, Dropvcull, MillyDham, Koncerners, Alcina & Groove, and expressions of interest from artists and bands are being received by Kivhan committee. Full program to be released in the coming days counting down to the Kivhan festival.
Interested bands/artists/church groups and stringbands call James Langdale on 7330275 and Jean Pierre Sam on 774175 to be included in the program.
Artists and bands are encouraged to perform a song on this year’s theme during their show, and a special theme song that has been recorded and sung by Hoobz entitled “Water of Life” is being discussed for a remake which will include all Vanuatu Wan Voes Kivhan artists to feature with Hoobz.
New to the festival this year, will be 10 food and kava stalls. Fee for each stall is 5000vt, should anyone be interested to purchase a stall, it’s a first come first serve treatment. Call Sarah Doyle on 5342342 and 7752595.
The organizing committee is requesting for backdrop design proposals from artists, for this year’s Water for Life / Wota Blong Laef / L’eau pour la Vie theme. There will be a small token given to the winning designer and he/she will work closely with Kivhan’s artist to produce this year’s backdrop.
Chairlady of Kivhan Festival, Mrs Alcina Charley remarks “Not only did last year’s Kivhan festival initiate a good business relationship between the organizers and stakeholders across all levels in government, NGO’s, private sector, business houses, national and overseas print and online media, social media personnel, churches, communities and individuals, but the musicians collected cash donations to go towards Kivhan’s first milestone project.”
Mrs Charley announces that, “The Marae community on Emae island, with a small pool of 450,000vt collected from the public and donors last year, has completed stage 1 and 2. This week, 44 pieces of 6m and 4m corrugated iron sheets are being bolted on the roof of the 15m x 9m community hall, thanks to Bluescope Lysaght for sponsoring the roofing material.”