We have much to learn from music & theatre

Australian tradition that we were keen (?) to uphold here in Tonga. With this in mind we headed to the Dateline Hotel to watch the ‘Kingdom Family Night Concert’. it didn’t look promising with the warm up band that blasted out some UB40 hits along with a couple of numbers that would have meant the end of the Tamworth music festival had the public been given the populace vote on whats acceptable / or not.
Still! it was a fund-raiser, with almost all of the 140 seats full with a very enthusiastic audience there to be entertained, as well as educated.
The program ended up being very funny and featured a number of interesting slants on Tongan, Polynesian and Cook Island dancing, by a group of tattooed muscle men who stole the show through a number of short dramas (with either a health, family planning, domestic violence or HIV theme). Mostly they dressed in drag. Kotoni had to be restrained… He has been known to pop on the odd frock!
All in all a very interesting evening with the audience in hysterics most of the time… If only we knew more Tongan than ‘good morning how are you!’
We may even have gotten on the TV but only just missed out on the raffle. Just joking… This was a superb way to get social education across to families and I cant help but wonder how such an approach would translate to Our very own Aboriginal communities who share a verbal storytelling tradition.