Le Mwâ Kââ, vers la manifestation d'une appartenance commune en Nouvelle-Calédonie?1

Abstract

The Mwâ Kââ's initiative was launched in 2003 by an association of pro-independence Kanak for the 150th anniversary of taking possession of New Caledonia by France. The monument and the commemorative ceremony to which it gave rise were then placed under the sign of the Noumea agreement, to symbolize the future shared with other communities, invited to participate in the construction of «the country's big house». However, the obstacles around the initiative and the contesting its validity reveal recurring political tensions, the lack of consensus on the Caledonian citizenship and the signs which may reflect a plural identity. Combining culture and politics, the initiative of Mwâ Kââ can it be seen as an expression of an offensive identity whose aim is to proceed, from kanak referents, an opening between historically opposing groups?.