Young female artist carries on late mother Juliette Pita’s artistic legacy

Aug 25, 2025 | Arts & Culture | 0

The 2025 Fest’Napuan logo was designed by Erromango artist, Amelia Lovo, daughter of the late pioneering artist Juliette Pita.

Born in 1994, Ms Lovo specialises in Tapa creation and painting on Tapa using coloured soil and acrylic.

She has been working as a painter for the past seven years. Lovo was also part of the first Remix exhibition in September 2018.

In May 2019, she was invited by Vivien Dunne for a joint exhibition at Alliance Française and has since taken part in several exhibitions, displaying and selling her artworks at the Fondation Suzanne Bastien Art Gallery, Alliance Française (now called Espace Emmanuel Watt), Tanna Coffee, Handicraft Vanuatu at the Seafront, Nasama Resort, and ACTIV Association in Port Vila.

In 2017, Lovo was encouraged by Daniel Owen, a former Fondation Suzanne Bastien Australian Volunteer, to continue painting and develop her own style, drawing from her family of artists.

Outgoing volunteer Jim Scattergood also guided Lovo in exploring what art meant in the contemporary world, working closely with her until he left in 2019.

Both volunteers influenced her early artistic path.

In 2018, Lovo took part in the pilot of an Artists Access project with the Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta (VKS) archives and collections.

This gave her the opportunity to create works that were later included in research publications resulting from the REMIX project (https://scccp.net/project/remix/

In 2020, during the “Step Folem Step” exhibition, she displayed her Tapa works reflecting on kastom patterns as symbols of current global challenges, including environmental protection.

She also collaborated with fellow young artist Selai Tavoa on a sculpture titled Ask to Know(https://stepfolemstep.net/amelia_lovo/

That same year, Lovo worked alongside her mother to paint murals around Port Vila.

Some of the locations featuring the late Pita’s murals, created with Lovo’s assistance, include the Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival (MACFEST) stage, ACTIV Association, the National Museum entrance, the French National University wall, Bultahi Nakamal next to the Museum, a surf mural opposite Kaiviti Motel and Casino 21, Three Pigs Restaurant, and Café Vila Bar.

In 2023, Action Solidarité Tiers Monde in Luxembourg commissioned Amelia to produce five original illustrations and give an interview for the hors-séries Brennpunkt magazine in both its digital and print editions (https://www.brennpunkt.lu/en/vision-de-lartiste-amelia-lovo/

Ms Lovo is still mourning the loss of her mother, who passed away on 30 March 2025. She now displays her art alongside her mother’s works at Nasama Resort.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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A prison sentence is not a child protection plan The Ministry argues that reports of criminal convictions reveal much less about what happens to the children themselves after abuse is discovered. “The cases reported in the newspapers tell us something about how Vanuatu’s criminal justice system responds to child sexual abuse. But they tell us much less about what happens to the children themselves,” MOJYCS says. Referring to the five-year-old girl whose father was sentenced for sexually assaulting her, the Ministry says the court’s decision explains the consequences for the perpetrator but does not establish what protection was put in place when the abuse came to light, whether other children were at risk or what support was available to help her recover. These questions, the Ministry says, are just as important as the criminal prosecution. The MOJYCS describes a situation in which a girl tells her teacher that someone at home has been sexually abusing her. She is frightened to return home, her mother may be financially dependent on the perpetrator, and younger children in the household may also be at risk. “The police can investigate the crime. But who assesses whether she is safe to go home that afternoon? Who helps her family find a safe way forward? Who ensures she receives medical care, counselling and ongoing support? And who follows up to make sure she remains safe?” the Ministry asks. “These questions cannot wait months or years for a criminal trial to conclude.” Vanuatu already has laws criminalising rape, incest and other sexual offences. Police, prosecutors and courts play an essential role in investigating crimes and holding perpetrators accountable. However, the MOJYCS says criminal investigations and child protection responses serve different purposes. “A criminal investigation asks whether an offence was committed and who is responsible. A child protection response must ask a different, equally urgent question: is this child safe, and what needs to happen now to protect them?” the Ministry says. “Protecting a child must begin when abuse comes to light, not when a perpetrator is convicted.” The Ministry says this is why the proposed Child Protection Bill matters. The Bill seeks to establish a stronger legal framework for protecting children at risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation. It would establish clearer reporting responsibilities, strengthen the authority of child protection officers to assess and respond to abuse, and provide mechanisms for emergency protection, court orders and safe alternative care. The MOJYCS says these measures would establish clear responsibilities and provide the legal authority needed to intervene when a child is in danger. “A child who discloses sexual abuse needs more than a police investigation. That child needs to be safe tonight, tomorrow and in the months and years that follow,” the Ministry says. Parliament has an opportunity to act The MOJYCS recognises that families, chiefs, churches and communities all have important roles in protecting children. However, it says informal arrangements and goodwill are not always enough when abuse occurs within a family or community. Children need a system with clear legal responsibilities, trained professionals and the authority to intervene when their safety is at risk, the Ministry says. It also cautions that legislation alone will not end child sexual abuse. A strong Child Protection Bill must be backed by trained child protection officers, accessible services, effective referral pathways and sustained investment, including in rural and remote communities. Without these investments, the MOJYCS warns, the promise of stronger legal protection risks remaining just that — a promise. For children experiencing abuse, the Ministry says, the issues are not abstract questions about legislation or government responsibilities. They concern immediate safety, dignity, care and recovery. The MOJYCS says a child’s access to protection should not depend on where they live, whom they know or whether someone happens to be available to help when they disclose abuse. “To the MPs who will consider the Child Protection Bill this month: the children behind these headlines deserve more than our concern. They deserve action,” the Ministry says. “Vanuatu cannot undo the abuse these children have suffered. But it can decide what happens when the next child comes forward. “Pass a strong Child Protection Bill. Commit the resources needed to make it work. And ensure that when a read more…

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Young female artist carries on late mother Juliette Pita’s artistic legacy

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