Radio and the redefinition of Kastom in Vanuatu

Abstract

This paper traces the development of radio broadcasting in Vanuatu, arguing\nthat radio was critical to the development of ideas of Vanuatu-as-nation among\nthe residents of the archipelago. From its inception, radio broadcast kastommaterial\nunderstood to derive from the place itself, such as local songs and stories-\nand in broadcasting it contributed to the development of a complex understanding\nof kastom itself. By this means kastom was defined as expressive of\nnational unity as well as regional diversity, and as a basis of identity; the presentation\nof kastom on the radio has provided Islanders with a point of connection\nwith the new context of the nation. In tracing the history and significance\nof the broadcast of kastom, the paper argues that radio developed a distinctive\nform in Vanuatu, not addressing a passive and private listener, but rather interacting\nwith an audience that engaged with the radio through correspondence and\nother contributions, and through both sending and· responding to service messages.\nIn 1994 this was overturned by creation of the Vanuatu Television and\nBroadcasting Corporation, which was designed to conform with western commercial\nmodels of radio. The consequent cutting of kastom programs resulted in\na significant and locally acknowledged disenfranchisement of rural Ni-Vanuatu.