2007 December 27
We have been in American Samoa for over two months. The novelty has now worn off, and we are now being shown, "the other side". We can't report through rose-colored glasses, instead, we think it time to share some of the typical dysfunctional sides of a society torn between two cultures and reflective of our times. Even here, in this remote part of the pacific, there are the same woes of any western society. You are familiar with them, if you've traveled to Seattle, New York, or Amsterdam. We've seen the same in San Francisco. Here you can see the homeless person crawled up in the corner of the old farmer's market alienated, drunk and dirty. At night, the Asian prostitutes line up at the shipyard to attend to the visiting Korean container ship. Large billboard signs inform and educate the youth to choose abstention, as the high rate of teen pregnancy on the island is sky high. Even more billboards show the ugly sight of a woman caught in harms way, spousal abuse in the homes does happen.
And daily, we read in the local newspaper of those people caught for illegally making the fast buck-the embezzler, the cheater, the shyster often with funds associated with grants or government assistance. Evil still lurks, even on islands rooted in village hierarchy.
Woes breed the need for reform. There are those who want change. Those who want full independence from USA financial subsidies. The current economic realities constrain fruition for the near future. It will take many years and a steady deliberate effort on the part of leadership to make headways towards a fully independent American Samoa. Do the politicians in the Fono (Legislature) have the chiefdoms aligned? Or do the chiefdom's have the politicians aligned? From what we hear and read, there is interest on both sides for more independence. Will the community follow?
Beyond the politicians there are others who contribute to efforts to improve the community. There are those in the community who encourage farmers to grow local foods thereby reducing the amount of produce imported in from the Mainland and New Zealand. Along these lines, there are efforts to promote energy conservation, use of shopping bags thus reducing their dependency on disposable bags, yard burning on only Sundays to reduce air pollution, and promotion of the use of the buses instead of the single driver per car habit. Efforts to preserve the marine and natural habitats are underway, too.
There are advocates for artisans to design, make and promote the arts of the Samoan culture (e.g. weaving, tattoo designs, fabric products, specialty foods, singing, and dancing). With the promotion of the arts, there are those working towards a successful Pacific Arts Festival in the spring 2008. American Samoa will be hosting all islands in the Pacific for this weeklong affair and multi-island event.
Four years ago a community college was started on the island. The literacy rate is increasing, but ever so slowly. Recognition that not all students can afford to go abroad for college educations makes it imperative that there be success with a community college. In addition, the community college is essential to retain and renew the brain trust on island. Like on other island societies, often, when students leave for educations on the Mainland only a handful return to the homeland and work in their chosen professions. Three weeks ago, the newspaper reported on a mentor program. Mentors, professionals from across the island, were matched with high school students who shadowed them for the day. It was a commendable mentoring program where students were matched with a local chef, the President of the shipyard, architects, NPS biologist and rangers, and hospital medical professionals. In addition, whether a student is enrolled in a public or private school, it is mandatory that they become bi-lingual in Samoan and English. So much can be bridged when language is no longer a barrier.
We learned that in the National Football League (NFL) there are over forty Samoan players. The good news is that at least two of the returning American Samoans who played in the NFL, came home and started a football camp for aspiring High School players. Genetically, many Samoans are perfect for football; built broad shouldered and strong. Early in the morning on Christmas Eve, when the temperature was still cool (80°F), we saw teams practicing on the fields of Samoa High School. High school football is a big deal on the island. Friday games between the several High schools bring every one out to cheer; banners fly and occasionally, tempers fly too. There is a national pride that only can be found in the sports arena. So matched to the Mainland!! The French Tahitians fiercely loved to watch the national game of rugby. In South America or parts of Europe, the game of soccer is legendary. American football is a big deal in American Samoa. Although I should mention, that the local bowling alley and a golf course are alternative sources of recreation, too.
Obviously, a sense of place is defined by the people's participation in the development and evolution of their community. The constant reminder that the community is only as good as the citizens makes our life as transients precarious at best. We are shy to criticize: to be merely travel observers. We realize that the road to building a community takes vision and commitment. Having said this, we open ourselves to opportunity that might arise where we might be able to help in the community.
One likely place might be at the Public Library. As a cruiser planning to live here for six months, I find the library a wonderful asset. I visit once a week. Another cruiser goes there almost every day to use the Internet. The library is modest but resourceful; open six days a week and two evenings. Permanent residents of American Samoa are given free access to the library resources: magazines, books, computer lab and access to the Pacific Island Center. However, temporary residents like us, must pay $40/annual fee for the use of the library and we are restricted to checking out 2 books at a time for 2 weeks, compared to the 10 books per permanent resident.
Why? After several conversations with the Librarian, I learned that we are restricted because a "Yachtie" abused the system. A cruiser came to the library, checked out books and never brought them back. The replacement costs were enormous, especially for this island public library. As we like to say, this cruiser "did not leave a small wake". In response to the misuse of this valuable resource, those who make rules, made more rules. They set in place limitations that prohibit access and attached a fee for access privileges. Somewhere out there is a cruiser who probably naively kept a book and never thought twice that their action of not returning the book(s) had consequences for fellow cruisers. Perhaps there is some way that good behavior can have the rules modified or rescinded? Small as this issue might sound, it is not a trivial issue to me or to future cruisers who visit this island.
I believe that public libraries like other public services (e.g. hospitals, schools, parks) are signs of a healthy community. A healthy community is one that cares about leveling the playing field of access to knowledge and resources for all. Abusing books, burning books or stealing books are unthinkable actions. To the cruiser community this has to be considered an outrageous contradiction because cruisers, in general, spend enormous time on their boats reading books. Cruisers are the great promoters of the free trading libraries. Cruisers are possibly the most literate community of people that I have ever met, second only to my life association with academia. Some Captains and crews choose to cruise to have the time to read what they missed in their youth. So, to hear that it was a cruiser who abused the sanctuary that houses books, just raises my angst. Ok, I better stop before my language become foul. Needless to say, I hope this part of the website entry reaches the guilty party and they take the efforts to send back to the American Samoa Library the books or the replacement costs of the books. Maybe, I need to make this abomination more widely known, like to the SSCA (Seven Seas Cruisers Association)? Maybe I need to start a foundation with funds to support the library to supplement their book buying capacity and change the image of "Yachtie" as thieves? Encanto has contributed two bags of used books for the library's book resale bin. What more can we do? I'm sure more.
Perhaps, all this seems small in the grand scheme of the world situation, but when you live some place as wonderful as American Samoa, you begin to want to give back to this community that allows us safe harbor. At the end of the day, all I know is that I can't stop the killing in the Middle East, I can't stop hunger around the world, and I can't stop the spread of diseases, but perhaps in 2008, I can stop a single cruiser from making another blunder whose consequence affects all the cruisers that follow in their wake.