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Pacific Night in Washington, D.C.

Connie Lawn’s 9th Blog – June 25, 2009

From Connie Lawn in Washington DC

Downtown Washington D.C. rocked with the sound of Maori, Fijian, Hawaiian, and other Pacific Island music and dancing. The ninth annual Pacific Night was held in the spacious courtyard of the National Geographic Museum. Pacific Night is now organized by the Washington Pacific Committee and hard working staff members from the region’s embassies. The NZ Embassy says “ the Committee is a group of Embassies and offices that fosters cooperation and understanding on a range of issues of mutual importance to the Pacific and the United States.” About 700 people attended this year. The lead entertainment and the wero were provided by Hautawhiti, a talented Maori group now living in New York and Florida.

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Helen Clark, Ambassador Roy and Mrs. Dawn Ferguson, at Pacific Night. Photo by Charles Sneiderman

Pacific Night was originated by the New Zealand Embassy in Washington and in the early years it was held there, until the number of guests outgrew the facilities. Then the National Geographic offered their facilities in the heart of the nation’s capital. For the past few years, Ambassador Roy Ferguson and his wife Dawn have presided over the event. The official speech was delivered by former Prime Minister Helen Clark, who is now the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program. She now travels the world promoting projects for sustainable development and had just flown in from Africa.
The food and drink were delicious and were donated by the various embassies and missions. The New Zealand Embassy staff had been cooking their specialties for three days. It was well received!

Most of the guests were originally from the Pacific nations, and the event made them feel closer to home. But many were Americans, who looked out of place in their suits and ties. Pacific Night inspires many of them to travel to the South Pacific.

At the end of the evening, the Maori and Fijian dancers were teaching the words and dance movements to many of the members of the audience. Hundreds of us tried our best. As we left the Museum at about 10 pm, the music was going strong and the neighborhood did not sound at all like bureaucratic Washington! Connie Lawn, at Pacific Night in Washington

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Connie Lawn has a passionate love for NZ. She worked for Radio New Zealand for 20 years, and then for Radio Live for a few years. Connie has covered the White House and the world since 1968. Her other passion is skiing, and she calls herself "the skiing White House reporter." Her ski stories are on dcski.com and other outlets. Connie is also heard on thousands of radio stations, but firmly believes the internet is the future. She can be reached at connie@scoop.co.nz

ENDS

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