By Teamai Teave | Executive Director Toki Rapa Nui NGO
These are just some of all the amazing things that are happening at our NGO...
Toki Shines at Rapa Nui’s Main Cultural Festival, Tapati 2026
After more than a month of intense preparation, Toki students and teachers dazzled the audience on the main stage of Tapati, the Island’s principal cultural festival.
With a 45-minute performance co-created by all of our artists, the presentation addressed the importance of water and the need to recover mana (the supernatural force that unites us and gives meaning to things) for all humanity. It featured a turtle traveling through different locations in its search, only to discover that mana resides within ourselves.
During January, teachers and students worked tirelessly on the concept. In addition to continuing their regular classes and choral singing workshop, they rehearsed Ori (ancestral dances) and learned new choreographies in preparation for the performance.
Watch our participation, prepared with great care, here: https://youtu.be/XXnGyBjgkr4
Students Participated in Patagonia CelloFest
Four students and their cello teacher traveled to Coyhaique, in the extreme south of the country, to participate in the 8th edition of Patagonia Chello Fest. It was the first time Toki students traveled to mainland Chile to take part in a musical exchange experience.
For one week, they were able to share with other cello students and teachers from across the country and learn from leading figures of the instrument.
This invitation was made possible thanks to the financial efforts of the school’s parents and guardians, who raised funds through various initiatives.
“It was a highly important academic training experience, with significant relevance for the students. It changed the way they see rehearsal, practice, and the instrument itself. It was an intensive week,” explains the academic in charge of the group, Elizabeth Despouse.
Christopher, Matías, Máximo, and Trinidad, together with their teacher, attended classes, workshops, and concerts. As a group, they performed the piece "Ka ara mai ra koe tou mata" (“wake up and open your eyes”), which invites us to look with the soul, to feel music not only with our ears, but with the heart and ancestral memory.
Watch this performance here: https://youtu.be/V2_uzxKfLkQ-
Government Authorities Visited the School
Two important authorities visited Rapa Nui in the last month: the President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric, was on the Island at the end of February and, within his tight schedule, included a visit and presentation at Toki. The country’s highest authority recognized the NGO’s contribution and committed to providing a new van to improve connectivity between students, the community, and the school, replacing the current one.
In addition, and within the framework of Tapati 2026, at the beginning of February the Minister of Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Carolina Arredondo, attended the general rehearsal of our performance and visited the project in person. The project is part of the PAOCC trajectory program, continuity funds from the Ministry for the implementation of classes, reinforcing her commitment to our school.
Urgent Need: Toki Participates in the Strategic Water Resources Roundtable
One of the Island’s most significant environmental challenges is the lack of freshwater. We do not have natural sources, representing a major water and energy crisis for our community.
Since January, our founder and Head of Sustainability, Juan Haoa, has represented Toki as a member of the Strategic Water Resources Roundtable for Rapa Nui. We will serve as permanent members as an NGO focused on environmental protection.
This body represents a significant commitment to advancing toward sustainable water management in Rapa Nui in the short, medium, and long term, and aims to develop a hydroecological model that will identify present and future needs to help mitigate this urgent challenge.
Exchange with the Conservatory of Arts of French Polynesia
In January, we welcomed two representatives from the Conservatory of Arts of French Polynesia “Te Fare Upa Rau.” As part of Ori Tahiti workshops on the island, its director Fabien Dinard and renowned Tahitian dance teacher Vanina Ehu visited us. During their stay, we were able to exchange experiences and discuss the realities and challenges of each school.
The conservatory is a model for Toki and has inspired us since our beginnings due to its rigor, discipline, and excellence. For more than 40 years, it has taught the convergence between classical and traditional disciplines, educating, preserving, and promoting culture in a professional manner without losing its identity.
Preserving our culture: one of our core priorities
We experienced a very meaningful moment thanks to the Corporación de Resguardo Cultural Hotu Matu’a (Kahu Kahu O Hera). More than 50 members of Toki —including students, teachers, and staff— took part in a morning dedicated to the revitalization of ancestral Rapa Nui culture through both practical and theoretical workshops guided by experts from the community.
Each workshop offered a direct encounter with the knowledge, techniques, and wisdom that form part of the deep identity of our island.
Toki is much more than music and art — it is a space where the legacy of our island is kept alive. For our children, young people, and teachers, this was a valuable opportunity to learn through experience, listen to their elders, and strengthen their connection with our culture.
Italian Composer Alessandro Martire Conducted Activities at Toki
The first activity under the collaboration agreement with the Italian Cultural Institute and the Embassy of Italy in Chile was the visit of Italian composer and pianist Alessandro Martire.
Accompanied by the director of the Institute—who supported with translations—Cristina Di Giorgio, Martire delivered a masterclass for our students from all disciplines. During the session, he worked with the young musicians on one of his own compositions inspired by Rapa Nui.
That same week, he performed an emotional, high-level free concert featuring his original works, celebrating Italian talent and the magic of Rapa Nui.
Check some videos:
We Held Our Traditional Christmas Concert
On December 18 we held our Christmas Concert at the Toariki Cultural Center. This was a very important presentation for Toki, as it allowed us to share our work widely—with residents and visitors alike—through an open and free event in the heart of Rapa Nui.
The concert was the result of the work carried out throughout 2025 by teachers Cynthia Lemarie and Hermes Villalobos, and it brought together students from Toki’s music workshops (including the early childhood program that begins at age 3) and the school choir. It also included the participation of the Hare Koa Tiare Senior Center Choir, the Adult Community Choir that rehearses weekly at the church, the children’s residence Hare O Tatou, and students from the Hermano Eugenio Eyraud and Lorenzo Baeza Vega schools.
Participants from the Penitentiary Center held their own private presentation for inmates and their families, and the impact of the program there has been so significant that they applied for funding to create their own music room—which is now a reality.
Watch it here: https://youtu.be/nQh7qby-Q7Q
Pascuala Ilabaca Performed an Intimate Concert for the Community
In a Marae filled with attendees, we closed January with an intimate concert by Chilean singer-songwriter Pascuala Ilabaca. With songs rooted in folklore, performed with a powerful voice, accordion, and piano, she captivated the audience from the very first moment. Charismatic and warm, Pascuala delighted us with her talent and gifted us two pieces accompanied by the violin of our teacher Yarella Alvear, in a deeply emotional musical encounter.
She also conducted body expression classes for our students in preparation for the Tapati 2026 performance.
Images: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTys_2hj5mM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
We Held Our 2024 Annual Public Report Presentation
The NGO’s Executive Director, Teamai Teave, publicly presented the 2024 Annual Report and Financial Statement to the community, the official document submitted to the Ministry of Justice.
This was an opportunity to clearly communicate how we work, which projects we implement, and how the resources that sustain our educational, cultural, and environmental activities are managed.
Transparency is a responsibility we take seriously, and we believe the community should have direct access to this information. Authorities and members of the general public were invited to attend, learn more, and ask any questions they deemed relevant.
Community Workshop Student Won 3rd Place in Local Competition
The student from the community workshop at the Correctional Center, Pablo Ponce Pate, earned third place in the competition “Himene mo te Vi’e Rapa Nui,” organized by the Rapa Nui Language Academy to celebrate the strength, wisdom, and spirit of Rapa Nui women through an original song in the language.
His piece was a tribute to his grandmother, María Elena Hotus, a teacher of rapa nui culture and bearer of the ancestral Riu and ‘Ute chants, expressing gratitude for her legacy and teachings.
Links:
By Teamai Teave | Executive Director NGO Toki Rapa Nui
By Teamai Teave | Executive Director NGO Toki Rapa Nui
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