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2022, Inauguration of the Handshake Monument, replacing the Olry statue
A new monument is inaugurated in Place de la Paix, almost a year after the removal of the statue of Governor Olry. The monument represents the handshake between Jacques Lafleur and Jean-Marie Tjibaou, in connection with the Matignon Accords signed in 1988 on the status of New Caledonia. For both the municipality and Fred Fichet, the sculptor, the statue is intended to be accessible to the public. The sculptor hopes it will "touch people". The men depicted are slightly taller than human height (2.50m), and not large, so as not to be overhanging or imposing figures. They are installed on a low plinth, 50cm high, so that the public can approach and touch them. Fred Fichet explains that one of his hopes is that the hand left free on the two figures can be grabbed and touched by passers-by, which could also help the sculpture itself to evolve by wearing out this element more quickly. Plaques on the base and side of the monument provide biographical information on Jacques Lafleur and Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the Matignon-Oudinot Accords they signed, and the choice of monumental representation by Nouméa mayor Sonia Lagarde.