School Theatre Productions in Rapa Nui as Community Responses to Globalization: Performances of ‘A‘amu Tuai at Aldea Educativa Hoŋa’a o te Mana

This presentation will discuss selected productions by high school Aldea Educativa Hoŋa’a o te Mana created for Mahana o te Re’o (Rapa Nui language day celebration) in which the entire school community is responding to different issues arising through globalisation. Hoa Haka Nana‘ia (2015) reflecting on the commodification of their material culture such as the moai (stone statue). This play supports the Rapa Nui campaign for the return of this moai by the British authorities. Te Vaikava (2016) is a work with an ecological theme about the sea, highlighting the importance of fishing in the local economy that today it is threatened by international factory ships fishing in the vicinity of Rapa Nui. Vakaroa (2018) narrates the arrival of the ship Nancy in 1804 initiating the arrival of whaling ships, which led to the kidnapping of islanders in order to trade them as slaves, addressing the historical alienation the Rapa Nui culture has suffered from their traditions due to globalisation. Through theatre and the performance of site-specific stories, students reinforce their Rapa Nui identity, and sense of belonging to Oceania rather than Chile and Latin American cultures. Theatre produced for Mahana o te Re‘o have been a powerful marker in the decolonization of education in Rapa Nui as well as showcasing and celebrating not only the use of the language, but also cultural practices, stories and the way in which theatre is produced in Rapa Nui.