Te laa ote vaka Art Competition
Are you a student who identifies as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, South Sea Islander, Maori, and/or Pacific Islander? In the face of poor climate leadership here in Australia, do you feel ready to stand up, speak out and show support for your island home? Would you like an alternative way to engage with the climate space that feels true to you?
Can you imagine your artwork on a banner being held up high above the thousands of people marching for a better future, or perhaps the world’s biggest rally carrying the pictures and words of your people? What would your banner look like?
The Pacific Climate Warriors in collaboration with Seed Mob invite you to join our Te laa ote vaka Art Competition and to call upon our neighbours and leaders to respect sovereign rights to land and waterways, and the cultures that protect them. This means leaving fossil fuels in the ground and moving towards renewable energy production to address global warming and rising sea levels, amongst other destructive forces caused by high-emitting carbon practices.
‘Te laa ote vaka’ is the main sail of the traditional sailing ships that are used by the people of Tuvalu, who would travel between islands to connect, gather and share resources, and to fish, which remains as one of the most important life sources for Tuvalu. Following on from the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu and the disappointing response from our leaders in Australia, we call upon our people to rise up for our islands, and demand respectful, proactive climate leadership.
All done in the spirit of Matagi Mālohi, a Tokelauan word which refers to ‘strong winds’; we encourage you to speak with this energy for the survival of our homes and our cultures.
Design a banner that best represents who your people are. This could be your family, or your community. You are welcome to use your cultural language, be as colourful and bold as you desire. See examples:
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Once you have finished designing your banner, write up a short description about it and send it in via this form or post it to: Our Community House, 552 Victoria Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051
Some guidelines:
- Abide by the theme of the competition
- Submit on an A3 piece of paper
- Try to be colourful and bold
- No profanity
- Include a description of your artwork with your submission
- Submit your artwork via the Google Form provided
- Post anything you’d like to share about your artwork on social media using the hashtag #ClimateStrikeSail
Submissions close on September 13!