Congratulations to the ladies of Leweton Kastom Village in Santo who have been invited to perform at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Malaysia on the island of Borneo. See http://www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com/web/en/about_rwmf.htm for more information about the festival. Contact
for more information about the Leweton Women.
Seven ladies from the remote, northern tropical islands of Vanuatu, wade into the sea up to their waist. Dressed in the traditional costumes of Gaua, including arm bands and headwear made from flowers and leaves, these women are about to perform the mystical Water Music.
The women sidle into a half moon formation. Their bodies lean forward over the water waiting for the signal. The leader’s head dips in a nod. Hands are united in action. The water is beaten into a rhythmic swirl. The palm of their hands slaps each passing wave. Their hands move closer to their bodies and then away again
The percussion sound of unique Water Music fills the air. The glee of the women’s shouts punctuates the music occasionally. With pieces titled “The Sound of Thunder”, “Cascade Falls”, “Big Whale Fish Playing With Small Whale Fish”, “Waves Breaking on the Reef”, the women evoke the sounds their ancestresses have live with for thousands of years. And the crescent formation reflects the way the women have worked standing in a semi-circle at the water’s edge, or in the river … washing and bathing and collecting shellfish. The sounds they reproduce are the sounds of life and renewal; the past interweaving so completely with the present that its easy to lose yourself in the captivating rhythms
To sit, eyes closed and absorb the sound, it is easy to imagine yourself in a modern day concert hall – and maybe you are!. But maybe you are sitting on one of the mystical tropical islands in the northern part of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. You have just climbed down a narrow well-worn path, through a pristine bush wilderness. Few tourists, except the occasional yachty, experience the joys of being welcomed by these friendly warm people of Gaua.
Each piece lasts for several minutes. The performers are soaked from head to toe. The crowd sits momentarily stunned before breaking into applause.
If you would like to contact the Further Arts organisation
for any reason, please use the details provided on the Contact
Page
Further Arts is a charitable association based in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
The organisation was incorporated in December, 2000. Our main objective is to develop and promote Vanuatu artists and musicians, their products, and other cultural activities both within Vanuatu and overseas.
The Further Arts Website was developed to help reach our overseas audiences, as well as to promote communication within Vanuatu. We launched the site on the 9th of July 2004, and we update the site regularly.
Further Arts is a charitable association based in Port Vila, Vanuatu. 