Education & Language
Perhaps the most significant legacy of the colonial era is that Vanuatu retains both English and French as the sole languages of instruction in its schools. Though there is now only one educational system, parents still opt to send their children either to a French track or an English track. Thus, young ni-Vanuatu are still instructed in one–and only one–of the former colonial languages.
“This government is here to give an opportunity to families, in all freedom, to choose whatever language they want, be it the Anglophone or the Francophone. It’s the same [for both].”
Maxime Carlot Korman on Bilingualism
Approximately 60% of Vanuatu students attend English language schools, and 40% of them go to French Language schools. So as to hedge their bets, many politically savvy parents have opted to diversify their educational investments by having some of their children schooled in French while their brothers or sisters learn English!
Greetings in a Francophone School in Santo
Greetings at Fanafo, Santo – “Happy Forest Land”
When it comes to popular education and culture, the favored medium of communication remains Bislama. Whether it be in the realm of health education, music, or political campaigning, Bislama is the language of choice. Indeed, Bislama is the major vehicle for promoting national unity. Vanuatu’s single newspaper, a weekly, carries articles in all three languages. Radio Vanuatu also broadcasts in Bislama, English and French.
Religion
Religion remains an important part of Vanuatu society. While officially a secular state ensuring freedom of religion, the Constitution also enshrines the importance of Christian principles in the conduct of government. There are many Christian sects in Vanuatu, and one cannot say that the colonial rivalry between Catholicism and Protestantism has totally disappeared.
This is because the Catholic Church was so closely identified with both the French language and France itself. As a result, the patriotism of Francophones–who also happen to be Catholic–has long been suspect. Europeans, Australians and New Zealanders also keep the foreign missionary tradition alive.
Mission schools are still important for education. This is particularly true of the Catholic Mission schools. Even in farflung villages throughout the archipelago, the Catholic Mission schools successfully promoted French during the first decade of governmental hositility towards Francophonie.
Economy and Development
The economic goal of the Lini administration was self-reliance. But it has been much more difficult to proclaim self-reliance than to realize it. The economy of Vanuatu is still agriculturally based and highly vulnerable to fluctuation on the international commodities market.
Much stock has been placed in Vanuatu’s Financial Centre–what in the U.S. would be called a tax haven–and in tourism. There is also some small light manufacturing. But Vanuatu remains highly dependent on development assistance. These come both from bilateral donors, such as Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and France, as well as from multilateral donors, such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Social services, particularly health, must be upgraded in the outer islands. Clinics and dispensaries already provide primary health care.
Vanuatu’s geography constitutes a major impediment to development. Communications and logistics are expensive and difficult to install in a sprawling archipelago. New technology –- such as a solar-powered microwave telephone system—must be appropriate and affordable.
Culture & Television
One of the major challenges of societies throughout the South Pacific has been to maintain their traditional customs and traditions in the face of widespread Westernization and so-called modernization. Vanuatu has been in the forefront of maintaining a strong cultural tradition. Independence celebrations bring together dancers and artists from different islands. Traditional dances include the Greeting Dance, Bird Dance, Hat Dance and Mask Dance.
“The Jump”
On the southern part of the island of Pentecost Tanna, the Land Dive (gol) is practiced as an initiation ceremony and a display of bravery. A vine is attached to the ankle of the jumper, breaking the fall just prior to hitting the ground.
Partly to shield Vanuatu from the influences of Western consumerism and inappropriate social models, the Lini government had resisted introducing television to the country. Maxime Carlot thought differently, however, and T.V. was introduced to Vanuatu for the first time in July of 1992, in time for the Summer Olympics in Spain. Funding for the television was made available by the French government.
Walter Lini on the Advent of Television
Maxime Carlot Korman on the Advent of Television
“[T.V.] is the number one method for communication and to show the image of [our country], and opening up to the world. We think that an independent country needs to open up to the world. Now that doesn’t mean we need to bring in the garbage of the rest of the world and to show it to our people. We are very conscious of this problem and we are against that. But television is important for teaching, for education.” Maxime Carlot Korman on the Advent of Television