Bougainville Voice X-plosion - a unique collaboration between First Nations musicians from Bougainville and Australia
Bougainville Voice X-plosion - a unique collaboration between First Nations musicians from Bougainville and Australia.
Finalists in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville’s 2023 Voice X-plosion music competition battled it out for first place on 6 October, performing for a crowd of more than 1000 excited onlookers at Buka Town Main Market.
The six finalists, accompanied by traditional dancers and musicians, were selected from a pool of fifty-nine aspiring vocalists who participated in regional auditions across Bougainville’s north, central and southern regions. A panel of judges that included last year’s winner, Michael Dave from Central Bougainville, selected Wenceslaus Getsi Jnr. from the Malasang Cultural Group as this year’s winner.
The competition was initially conceived in 2021 by Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) President Ishmael Toroama, ABG Minister for Community Development Morris Opeti MP, and filmmaker Llane Munau to showcase the talent and creativity of young Bougainvillean musicians and celebrate the diversity of their cultures.
Australia supported this year’s competition through the Bougainville Partnership Youth Initiative. At the grand final launch, Australian High Commission First Secretary, Dr Fiona Crockford, said Australia was delighted support the Voice X-plosion by providing PGK50,000 to the Bougainville Youth Federation (BYF) to manage the event, in partnership with ABG Department of Community Development.
“We are proud to support an event that supports the BYF’s mission to promote peace, unity and social outreach to Bougainville’s young people” she said. Dr Crockford said Australia’s support would help strengthen the BYF’s capacity to manage similar youth-driven events in future.
The Australian High Commission also supported the involvement of Australian First Nations artists Tjupurru and Jake Fabila in the Voice X-plosion for the second consecutive year. Jake and Tjupurru, along with PNG musician Richard Mogu, worked closely with all six of the 2023 finalists ahead of their final performances, providing vocal and mentoring advice. Tjupurru and Jake also participated as judges in this year’s competition and conducted a music workshop for school students.
Jake and Tjupurru also collaborated with the 2023 cohort of Voice X-Plosion contestants on an original song for future release, following the success of their 2022 collaboration, Wan Solwara.
BYF Chair Junior Pais said the collaboration between the Australian Government, ABG Department of Community Development and the Bougainville Youth Federation (BYF) through the Voice X-plosion was key to “ensuring young men and women are not only connected to an opportunity that showcases their talents but one from which they can also derive benefit.”
Pais said he looked forward to seeing the competition continue to grow in 2024, exposing the musical talent of Bougainville’s young people to a wider audience.