Maco Tevane, real name Marc Maamaatuaiahutapu (13 August 1937 – 21 August 2013) was a

French Polynesian French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the South Pacific Ocean. The total land area of French Po ...

author, playwright, and politician who served as Minister of Culture in the government of

Gaston Flosse Gaston Flosse (born 24 June 1931) is a French Polynesian politician who has been President of French Polynesia on five separate occasions. He is currently a member of the Senate of France and has been a French junior minister under Jacques Chirac ...

in the 1990s. He was a defender of Polynesian culture and the

Tahitian language Tahitian (autonym: , , part of , , languages of French Polynesia) correspond to "languages of natives from French Polynesia", and may in principle designate any of the seven indigenous languages spoken in French Polynesia. The Tahitian language s ...

and is considered the founding father of popular Tahitian theatre. He was the father of politician

Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu is a French Polynesian civil servant, politician, and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of Tapura Huiraatira. He is the son of politician Maco Tevane and the brother of TNTV director Mateata Maamaatuaiahutapu. ...

and TNTV director Mateata Maamaatuaiahutapu.

Early life

After graduating from high school with a national diploma he worked as a surveyor for the land registry before working for the lands service. After gaining a qualification in teaching Tahitian he worked as a court interpreter and then for the

Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française The (; ORTF; , or French Radio and Television Broadcasting Office) was the national agency charged, between 1964 and 1975, with providing public radio and television in France. All programming, especially news broadcasts, were under strict cont ...

as a television host. In August 1972 he founded the

Tahitian Academy The Tahitian Academy (, ) is a cultural institution in French Polynesia with the purpose of preserving and promoting the Tahitian language. The Academy standardizes vocabulary, grammar, and spelling; promotes the publication and translation of works ...

. In 1974 he was one of its first academic members. In 1979 he created the

Artistic Conservatory of French Polynesia Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

to promote traditional arts and culture.

Political career

In October 1966 Tevane was elected as a municipal councillor in

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...

. From 1972 to 1982 he worked as an advisor to the French Polynesian government. He frequently represented French Polynesia at meetings of the

South Pacific Commission The Pacific Community (PC), formerly the South Pacific Commission (SPC), is an international development organisation governed by 27 members, including 22 Pacific island countries and territories around the Pacific Ocean. The organisation's hea ...

. He stood unsuccessfully for the National Assembly in the

1978 French legislative election Legislative elections were held in France on 12 and 19 March 1978 to elect the sixth National Assembly of France, National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic. The election results were a victory for conservatives. The results ...

, losing to

. He ran again in the 1981 election, but gained only 3.9% of the vote. Shortly before the 1982 French Polynesian legislative election he founded the Social Democrat party with Frantz Vanizette, but gained only 2.8% of the vote. In September 1991 he was appointed Minister of Social Affairs, Employment, and Labour in the government of

. He later served as Minister of Culture and the Environment. He resigned as a minister in August 1994 following a coalition realignment.

Plays

* 1972: ''Te pe'ape'a hau 'ore o Papa Penu e o Mama Roro'' (The incessant arguments of Papa Penu and Mama Roro) * 1974: ''Te huno'a mana'o 'ore hia'' ("The Unexpected Son-in-Law")

Honours

In 1983 he was made a Chevalier of the

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

. In 1989 he was made an officer. In June 2000 he was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Tahiti Nui The Order of Tahiti Nui was established on 5 June 1996 by the Assembly of French Polynesia to reward distinguished merit and achievements in the service to French Polynesia. History The Order of Tahiti Nui was established June 5, 1996 by resolut ...

. In November 2016 Taunoa College was renamed as Maco Tevane College in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tevane, Maco 1937 births 2013 deaths People from Papeete Tahitian-language writers French Polynesian academics Ministers of culture of French Polynesia Here Ai'a politicians Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite category:Members of the Tahitian Academy Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of French Polynesia