Vanuatu

Thoughts from Pentecost Trip

I had to visit Pentecost, an island in the North of Vanuatu, for a conference on traditional economy. There will certainly be a seperate post on traditional economy, just because the whole idea and movement amazes me lots. Pentecost *had* to be my most intense experience while in Vanuatu; I was in a custom (traditional) village on an island of valleys, and the experience was so constantly unreal and emotionally/psychologically taxing that I did not think of taking pictures. However, every now and then, I did jot down notes.. I find that re-telling the bits and peieces of the experiences wouldn't do justice to it, so I'm just going to go ahead and post the notes I scribbled during the 9-day trip...

• crazy ride back home: life flashed before my eyes
• scared of making mistakes
• it’s wrong that we get to attend a meeting with the Prime Minister and other “big men”: oinly thing I’ve done to desrve this is that I’m a CUSO volunteer froma first-world country
• culture: changing over time. Who decides what’s true custom. Who’s voice get’s left out?
• Culture: changes over time. Even if its equalatarian to beign with, over time, only certain elements get left behind and applied to future generations. However same problem exists with the implementation of religion
• Why do we find it so hard or threatening to give up our culture, religion or belief syste., as most of the times it is only something passed dwon by our fathers and mothers? Why is the way of our ancestors so hard to give up?
• Walking stick / talking stick: only chiefs are allowed. What would be the indigenous explanation for why this technique failed in Lord of the Flier?
• Culture shock everytime you think you’ve become an expert on adapting, everytime you’re proven wrong. Still there’s no end to this fall sense of confidence you feel.
• Respect: equality for women but respect for men is mentioned simultaneously, almost like the latter is a prequisite for the former. Does this take away from equity?
• MIPST is possible on Pentecost or Vanantu due to geographic inaccessibility and communication barriers. Can land-locked nations or communities expect the same optimistic results in a similar culture-retention movements?
• Kustom blong white man: why is that everything is assumed to be an attribute of the Western World: because of media? Because they are the current power-playerS?
• Resisstance to WDO tactics: I might, morally, not be able to adpot a culture by regardless, the model or idea is out of this mind and is an invaluable opportunity for others to learn ots
• April 20th: anything that could go wrong, did go wrong: lost my ticket, paid 3000 vt for new ticket, got *really* late for my plane
• Definition of indigienous?
• When you have a huge gathering with everybody who’s anbody, people don’t flaunt their status or credentials but still expect and require special treatement. How does that work? Struggles between who should serve and should be served?
• Imagine a full-line of grown men, waiting to be served dinner, all of them starting at you. Are you supposed to pretend like there’s nothing out of the ordinary happening?
• Welcoming evyerbody by name: political correctness? Etiquettes? Custom” politeness? Whatever it is due to, I really like the gesture
• A separate person comes to say thank you: a way of including everbpdy. But MC is still sspeerate. Thank you by chiefe of council of chiefs
• Search “daioly post” and “independent” for stories on WIP Forum and Peace and women
• Religious tolerance: got invited to join women’s dance even though I can’t wear the grass skirs due to limits of my custom or religions. Why and how does Vanautu manage to remain tolerant in spite of strong influence from extremist factions in Australia, US and the geographical isolation?
• Custom: what you should / can do? Relgion: what you can not do. Is this a fair distinction between the two?
• Will take over the country: evnaglelical side of Islam: why? How can we as muslims want to convert others when Muslim states are some of the worst ones?how much of your relgion do you let go and how much do you hold on to?
• Stressed, scared and anxious before each conference ibecause it’s new or outside my comfort zone? Or because I know that I’ll have increased trouble simplifying things abotut he world
• Nuclear testing and militarization of the Pacific?
• Did the missionas bother hearing about custom or culture before preaching? If they had, there might not be so much resistance to religion ?
• Respect versus oppressions: who decides fine line between the two?
• People being in full support of collective cultures but still raising children and owning things based on the individualistic approach
• Kids are encouraged to listen in collective cultures but speak in individualistic communities. Balance between listening and learning from elders, confidence and not speaking up against unjusticies?
• Hilda: good leader since she’s strong woman. But hard to live with? Same for all leaders? Or only women leders? Do you have be harsh to be revoluationary? Is it pimpossible to be passionate about a cause but be sensitive to normal, miniscule or “invisible” thigns at the same time?
• Girls not beign allowed to live way from home: always thought that was a matter of oppression. Byt maybe this opinion was fromed by my cultural heritage. Maybe the whole “females need security” has something to do with the reality of the majority of the world? Or maybe this gender-exlcusive limitation is a result of colonial and outer-cultural interference?
• Girls not being allowed to move away vs. limiting women’s experiences so that they are unable to realize their full potential
• New foundr especet for Islamic schools that work according to tradition and for traditionalists. Still not one to join them bu interesting to realize that the rational ius pretty impressive, logical and anti-colonial
• “peace shall destroy many” creating the perfet society for future generations. Same as MIPST: great, but what about individual choice? Or is this preference or need for individual choiuce as well a result of colonialist influences.
• Does law of nature dictate that we all are not capable of making intelligible decisions and needs others to decide what’s best for us
• “Ha! Let them try as hard as they want; we’ll win in the end": respoinse to a liberation or revulationary movement you don’t completely agree with
• Quote: "You can not hold the sky with one hand. You need two hands to hold the sky": quote by Nelson Mandela. Should apply to gender treatment and opportunities available to both
• Quote: "If you don’t respect environment, how can you respect another man", by a conference attendee, probably a chief
• Drinking water finishing on island 4 days into the 7 day form. 200 participants and village residents were “water-less”
• Immigration: in the end, we’re supporting the colonizaers and opresseors by moving into the stolen territory and supporting the conomic eneterprise?
• Tamata: please stop. The facilitator doesn’t call out. The audience members call out so the facilitator’s impartiality is not questioned

posted by faa-T @ 3:16 AM