Ovon Nimo Norop – Reviving traditional cyclone shelters on Erromango Island, Vanuatu

Documentary on the revival of traditional 'nimo norop' cyclone shelters on Erromango Island, Vanuatu. The increased frequency and intensity of climate change-induced disasters in Vanuatu are burdening community resilience. Cyclone shelters, constructed following traditional designs using locally available materials, are a sustainable, cost-effective and achievable climate change adaptation. On Vanuatu's Erromango Island, these shelters are known as 'nimo norop'. The Erromango Cultural Assocation's Omurep Erromango project is working to safeguard traditional cyclone resilience practices by promoting the transfer of traditional knowledge about building nimo norop shelters from Erromango's elders to younger generations. The project has two strands: 1. Planting for resilience: ensuring that native plant and tree species used for cultural purposes or traditional construction continue to be replanted; and 2. Building for resilience: ensuring that ancient wisdom and knowledge of traditional architecture – nimo norop —is transferred between generations and applied in Erromango's communities. This documentary captures the Omurep Erromango project's efforts, documenting traditional tree and plant species and architectural techniques used in the construction of nimo norop, and supporting cultural preservation and knowledge transfer to the wider Erromangan community. The Omurep Erromango project is generously supported by the Government of Canada's Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (October 2023–Feb 2024). The documentary is directed by Anna Naupa and produced by the Erromango Cultural Association and Island Minds Ltd Vanuatu. Language: Bislama with English subtitles. For more information about the Erromango Cultural Association, visit https://www.erromango.org