Panapasa Balekana ( Eng. Panapasa Balekana , 1929−2009) - a citizen of the Solomon Islands , author of music and words (co-authored with his wife Matila Balekan ) of the national anthem of the country .
| Panapasa Balekan | |
|---|---|
| Panapasa balekana | |
| Date of Birth | 1929 |
| Place of Birth | Kandavu (island) , Fiji |
| Date of death | January 22, 2009 |
| Place of death | Henderson (Solomon Islands) , Solomon Islands |
| Citizenship |  Solomon islands |
| Occupation | pastor, composer |
| Spouse | Matila Balekan |
| Awards and prizes |
|
Biography
Panapasa Balekan was born on the island of Kandavu , Fiji [1] , and in 1953 he moved to the Solomon Islands, where he worked as a mechanic in the economic unit of the government, which was under the control of the British colonial authorities [1] . In the Solomon Islands, Panapasa married Matila, they had two children in marriage, a son and a daughter [2] .
Panapasa and his family lived in Honiara , in the local church community Panapasa was the pastor and leader of the church choir [1] . In anticipation of the declaration of independence of the country, which was proclaimed July 7, 1978, the government of the Solomon Islands announced a competition for the creation of a national anthem [1] . Panapasa Balekan and his wife decided to take part in the competition and agreed that the new anthem of the country should be in the form of a prayer [1] . Subsequently, Panapasa stated in an interview that when composing the anthem, he received inspiration in a dream [1] , and after awakening, he and his wife immediately began to write words, and he himself also wrote the music of the anthem [1] . After the text and music were written, the Balekan spouses organized a recording of the performance of their work by the church choir of their community, and submitted an audio recording to the competition committee [1] . The variant of the Balekan spouses was recognized as the best, and on July 7, 1978 it was performed as the country's national anthem [1] .
Panapasa Balekana continued to work as a mechanic in the government apparatus until 1988, after which he headed the local company - the manufacturer of soft drinks Szetu Enterprise [3] .
In 2000, during ethnic unrest in the Solomon Islands, authorities suggested Panapas and his family leave the country for security reasons [1] . Panapasa refused, stating at the same time: “the place where I must die is my home” [1] .
Panapasa Balekan led the church choir in his community until the end of his life, and after he left this job for health reasons, his son took his place [1] .
Panapasa Balekan died on January 22, 2009 at his home in Henderson, a village east of Honiara [3] . The funeral took place on January 26 and was held with the participation of Governor General Nathaniel Vaena with his wife, Prime Minister Derek Sikua with his wife, Parliament Speaker Peter Kenilorea with his wife and other representatives of the country's top leadership [3] . During the mourning ceremony, the national anthem was performed [3] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 “Solomons National Anthem Composer Dies in Honiara”
- ↑ Sireheto, Joanna . Solomons Honor National Anthem Composer , Solomon Times (January 26, 2009). Date of treatment August 3, 2009.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 State funeral today for late Balekana , Solomon Star (January 26, 2009). Date of treatment August 3, 2009.