Health and safety event in Atimaono

The "Bouge pour ta santé" day was organized in Atimaono on the first Wednesday of school holidays by the commune of Papara in partnership with the Urban Contract. The event featured a variety of activities including prevention stands, tū’aro mā’ohi, a marathon tamure, and a solidarity walk. More than a hundred people, including residents from the six priority neighborhoods, participated in the event.

Workshops and awareness sessions

The morning was dedicated to tū’aro mā’ohi and prevention workshops led by several partners, including the gendarmerie, the municipal police, the RSMA, the Fare Tama Hau, Amazones Pacific, and the Direction of Land Transport, which was represented by its barrel-shaped car. Vaitiare Ueva-Mana, in charge of animation, stated that the event aimed to raise awareness among children and adults about the risks of the road and other health-related issues, while also allowing participants to discover a new site, the large garden facing the sea, suitable for various activities.

Youth engagement and educational focus

Despite a threatening sky, the second edition of the event found its audience. Vaiana Turi, president of the Afarerii neighborhood, mentioned that the event included young people starting from 12 years old. She highlighted the importance of seat belts and the lessons on not wasting electricity provided by EDT. She also noted that the event was useful during school holidays to occupy youth and that teenagers were looking forward to the Taure’a Move, which is scheduled for next week in Punaauia.

Cultural performances and community prizes

In the afternoon, an energetic and passionate marathon tamure was performed by the troupe Ia ora na Tahiti, followed by a prize distribution to the participants by lottery, which included a bag and a water bottle to continue efforts in daily life. The mobilization ended with a "walk for them" at the end of October, involving three to four laps around the health course in favor of breast cancer prevention.

Traditional sports and cultural continuity

Inatio Raveino, president of the association Te Ufi Taramea and of the federation of Tū’aro Mā’ohi, mentioned that the event included activities such as the fruit carrier race, the sack race, the stone lifting, the coconut picking, the pātia fā, and the perē fa’anu’u. He noted that the young people already knew the traditional sports in the continuity of the Heiva i Papara, but the event allowed them to refine these sports and continue raising their awareness of their culture. He mentioned that there were eight volunteers, including his granddaughter and nephew, and that the renewal was evident. He also shared that he had been walking with his spear since he was 3 years old, following his father, who was a great champion, and that he had been a primary school teacher and had always been attached to passing on this heritage to new generations.