Contribution short abstract:

This paper aims at retracing the period of the “kanak awakening” throughout a sonic pathway that leads to discover the origin of kaneka : a new musical movement risen up during the Kanak political struggles in New Caledonia.

Contribution long abstract:

The original musical productions taking shape during the “cultural awakenings” of Oceania represent a brilliant example of contemporary forms of resistance and transgression through music. This paper aims at enlightening the origin of kaneka, a musical movement that took place during the Kanak independentist political claims in the 80s in New Caledonia. Through the kaneka production, an entire generation of young Kanak was finally able to express its dissent against its condition of social oppression while showing to the French people and the white settlers that they existed as community, despite 150 years of colonial segregation. The musical productions allowed them to rethink the colonial past and at the same time to imagine a new future based on the recognition of the kanak identity. In doing so, this young generation succeeded in establishing a bond with the kanak tradition while creatively integrating new cultural elements of the globalization, primarily the reggae culture. Throughout an acoustical pathway in which some emblematic tracks and recordings about this period will be presented, I will try to investigate the musical forms that the political struggle for the independence has taken.