Jean-Marie Tjibaou

Jean-Marie Tjibaou is a Politician French, leader independence Kanak (Tiendanite, New Caledonia, 1936 - Ouvéa, 1989).

Wire of a chief of tribe of New Caledonia, ordered priest in 1965, with Hienghène and Noumea. It leaves the country in 1968 to follow courses of sociology to the catholic faculty of Lyon then of ethnology to the practical École of the high studies in 1970. At the time of its return to the country he forsakes his religious vocation to undertake a militant career. Always believing, it estimates however that “ it is impossible for a priest in this territory to give an opinion, for example in favor of the restitution of the grounds with the people kanak ” (quoted by Raluy, p. 171).

In the Years 1970, it is with the head of a movement of cultural revival with inter alia the demonstration Mélanésia 2000 (which takes place in 1975). This demonstration which gathers in Noumea, beside the current site of the Arts center Tjibaou, the tribes of all the usual surfaces of New Caledonia, awakes at Kanak a feeling of dignity. For the first time since good a long time the culture Kanak seems quite alive and either a dying culture.

Entered at the management committee of the Union calédonienne (CPU), he is elected mayor of Hienghène and vice-president of the CPU in 1977. He makes the choice of a political struggle founded on the principles of the Non-violence, maintaining the close relationships with the peasants of the Larzac. This choice was not always shared in its own camp since militants of the CPU maintained the bonds with the services Libya NS of the colonel Mouammar Kadhafi.

In 1979, it is elected to advise territorial Independence Face which has just been created. In June 1982, he is elected vice-president of the Government council of New Caledonia, until November 18th, 1984, day of the " boycott actif" territorial elections by the freedom fighters.

In July 1983, it takes part, for the Independence Face, with the roundtable of Nainville-the-Rocks, with inter alia, Jacques Lafleur.

December 5th 1984 it pays very expensive its recent nomination with head of FLNKS (Front of release national kanak and socialist), at the time of its creation, since on the road which leads to a congress, in the car that it should have occupied, ten Kanak are assassinated, including two of his/her brothers, in a ambush for which the culprits were never condemned. He asks, in spite of that, the lifting of the stoppings, following the negotiation with Edgard Pisani.

June 26th, 1988, it signs with, inter alia, Jacques Lafleur, the agreements of Matignon which envisage a referendum on self-determination after ten years.

In 1985-1986, he is elected president of the northern Area, resulting from the " statute Fabius ".

He is assassinated the May 4th 1989 with Yeiwéné Yeiwéné, his right-hand man with the FLNKS, at the time of the commemoration of the tragedy of Ouvéa, by Kanak (Djubelly Wéa) opposed to the agreements of Matignon of June 1988.

Quotation

Arts center kanak

Envisaged in the agreements of Matignon, a center of the culture Kanak was built between 1995 and 1998 by the architect Renzo Piano, on a peninsula in periphery of Noumea.

Sources

Biography on the site of the arts center Tjibaou
Antonio Raluy New Caledonia , editions Karthala ISBN 2-86537-259-6
Jean-Marie Tjibaou and Philippe Missotte, the box and the fir tree , editions Grain of sand, 1995, ISBN 2841700178

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