Frank is a native speaker of 'Uvean, a Polynesian language that is spoken by 10,400 people on 'Uvea island (Wallis and Futuna) and by 'Uvean diasporas in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and France. Frank has been a strong advocate for the revitalization, transmission and promotion of the 'Uvean language for the past 30 years. He has provided support to foreign linguists working on the 'Uvean grammar and dictionary, he has translated four children's books from English to 'Uvean and has delivered presentations at two academic conferences on minority languages in Finland and France.
Frank uses online platforms such as Wikimedia, Bloom Library, Spotify and Hotmart to create content in his native language. He has recently collaborated with 'Uvean language teachers to share his knowledge and experience with digital tools. Frank holds a Bachelor in Humanities from the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations and a Masters in Pacific History from the University of Paris. Based out of Canberra, he has worked in various roles in the private sector, non-profit organizations and governments.
This project will create a printed book of proverbs in the 'Uvean language, gathered through a crowdsourcing and storytelling contest. Young people will be encouraged to video record and explain proverbs, fostering intergenerational dialogue by engaging with elders to document traditional wisdom. This initiative builds on previous work, including the successful translation of three children's books into 'Uvean, and aims to further promote literacy and cultural preservation. The final collection of proverbs will be printed and distributed to the language community.