New French language newspaper for Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Updated
A new French language newspaper has been launched in Vanuatu. L'Hebdo Du Vanuatu is to be published by Vanuautu's Daily Post newspaper. Not only will it cover news in Vanautu, but will provide coverage of New Caledonia, where it will also be distributed. The new paper is the latest venture for the publisher of the Vanuatu Daily Post Marc Neil-Jones, who has been able to get financial support for it from the European Union.
Pacific Correspondent Campbell Cooney
Speaker:Publisher of the Vanuatu Daily Post, Marc Neil-Jones.
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NEIL-JONES: Europe is pushing very strongly for assistance to improve trade ties between New Caledonia and Vanuatu and there's money being put into assistance through the Chamber of Commerce in both countries to increase communication, but there's a lack of media coverage on it and we feel that we can fill this void. And we're basically interested in paper that can be sold both here and in New Caledonia, because there's a fairly substantial population of nu-Vanuatu French speaking nu-Vanuatu who have moved over and live in New Caledonia. There is a few thousand.
We can also use it to pursue trade interests and that was what was of interest to the European Union.
COONEY: Will you be covering news in New Caledonia as well?
NEIL-JONES: We will be carrying trade news of interest to Vanuatu, people who are interested in trading in Vanuatu and we have a Vanuatu Consulate in Noumea, looks after the interests of nu-Vanuatu over there and we are looking at getting news from the nu-Vanuatu connections over there, so people can see what's happening over there with their own people. So yes there will be news, and we will be appointing people to handle our advertising and distribution of paper over there.
COONEY: You approached the French. They were interested, but the EU was. I suppose my feeling would have been that I know how keen France is to ensure that its language does not die outside its own borders. I was curious why was the EU and not France itself that came on board?
NEIL-JONES: Well, it's my understanding that France has said that once the paper is launched, they will assist the EU. I basically sort funding for 12 months for an experienced bilingual Francophone journalist, who can set the paper up. Once the paper is fully set up and a local is trained, then it will be easy for us. But France, I mean I am a Vanuatu citizen, but an Anglophone. It's a privately owned company and the French embassy has been interested in I have dealt with two or three ambassadors and they all want a French paper. The trouble is by the time, if they officially seek funding through Paris, it is hit a brick wall in the past and the EU have funds available to assist with helping develop ties between New Caledonia and Vanuatu. I have been absolutely delighted that the EU have shared our vision, because there has not been a French paper and it's a national language here. So we do need to get a national weekly paper out and I need assistance, because I am not Francophone, so it looks as though now at long last, we're now all systems go.
