USP unveils mural to mark 50th anniversary [Source: USP]

As part of its 50th Anniversary, the University of the South Pacific (USP) officially unveiled a mural to commemorate the milestone.

The mural was painted by a team of local artists, namely Anare Somumu, Lingikoni Vaka’uta, Josaia Mc Namara, Jeke Lagi and William Camakau.

Titled, “Celebrating the Pacific”, the inspiration for the mural was drawn from the anniversary theme, “Celebrating the Pacific, Shaping its Future”.

Professor, Konai Helu Thaman, highlights that the mural represents the University’s sea of islands – its member countries and their diverse cultures, reflected in the carefully constructed twelve (12) panels which tell the story of the USP journey and shows in sequence the growth of the University community.

According to Professor Thaman, the artists engaged in research and completed the project over a three-week period.

Following the order in which member countries joined the University, the mural depicts iconic cultural symbols from each nation and draws from the official USP tapa featuring each individual country designs.