Francois Hollande has become the first French president to visit the tiny volcanic island of Futuna in the South Pacific. To mark the occasion, 30 pigs were slaughtered and roasted, arranging them in rows in front of him, with their legs in the air. The biggest one was symbolically offered to him. In return, Hollande promised the islanders an ATM and dialysis equipment for their hospital.
Mr Hollande is offered a dead pig during a ceremony on FutunaStephane de Sakutin/AFPCooked pigs are displayed during a ceremony held in honour of French President Francois Hollande two-day visit to the French overseas territory of the Wallis and Futuna IslandsStephane de Sakutin/AFPA man in traditional costume take a traditional beverage called kava to French President Francois HollandeStephane de Sakutin/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande drinks Kava, a traditional beverage, as he attends a ceremony in FutunaStephane de Sakutin/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande disembarks from a plane on the island of FutunaStephane de Sakutin/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande and French Overseas Territories Minister George Pau-Langevin attend a welcoming ceremony upon their arrival in Futuna islandStephane de Sakutin/AFPA local woman welcomes Mr Hollande to FutunaStephane de Sakutin/AFPA man in traditional costume welcomes French President Francois Hollande during a ceremony in FutunaStephane de Sakutin/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande delivers a speech on the island of FutunaStephane de Sakutin/AFPChildren holding French flags wait for French President Francois Hollande to arrive on Futuna islandStephane de Sakutin/AFPA woman offers French President Francois Hollande a gift during a ceremony before his departure from FutunaStephane de Sakutin/AFP
With his visit, Hollande has fulfilled one of his 2012 campaign pledges: to visit all 11 of France's overseas departments (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, French Polynesia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna, Saint Marti, Saint Barthélemy and New Caledonia).
Before arriving in Futuna, the French president visited Wallis, the larger island that makes up the French overseas collective of Wallis and Futuna. He was greeted by dancers and school children singing the Marseillaise.
French President Francois Hollande attends a welcoming ceremony in Wallis IslandStephane de Sakutin/AFPA local woman welcomes Hollande to Wallis and FutunaStephane de Sakutin/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande attends a ceremony in Wallis islandStephane de Sakutin/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande arrives to attend a ceremony in Wallis islandStephane de Sakutin/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande drinks Kava during a ceremony in Wallis islandStephane de Sakutin/AFPFrench President Francois Hollande receives a garland of flowers upon his arrival in Wallis islandStephane de Sakutin/AFP
He can expect a less friendly welcome at the next stop on his travels: French Polynesia, where compensation for the 193 nuclear tests France carried out between 1966 and 1996, is still a contentious issue.
A map showing the location of Wallis and FutunaGoogle
Hollande is on 45,000km tour of the South Pacific and Latin America, taking in French Polynesia, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. During the visit he will have two Mondays, as he crosses the international date line between Wallis and Futuna and Tahiti twice.