What graffiti arts and tags tell us about urban identity in Nouméa (New Caledonia)

Abstract

This article aims to describe and analyse graffiti arts and tags in the city of Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, a multicultural and multilingual city which is home to people who have moved from many different areas of New Caledonia and other countries of the South Pacific. I aim to understand how the citizens of Nouméa use graffiti and tags to construct their plural identities and identify themselves as Nouméens, as residents of Nouméan suburbs, and as people from other regions, with continued attachment and identification to these areas (tribal villages, islands, countries) of origin. How do they express these multiple senses of belonging? Which visual symbols, words, linguistic codes and norms do they use? How can this literacy help younger generations simultaneously reclaim their urban spaces (‘I'm from here and elsewhere’, ‘I have my place in this city!’) and assert their Oceanic identities?