Tropkalities

Japan In The Pacific

■ N response to the special report on ■Japan’s Pacific plans Pacific Islands ■ Monthly, September; One or two decades ago it may have been debat able where Japan’s economy would be in the 21st century. Today it appears inevitable that Japan’s economy will be at the forefront.

Japan’s emergence as an economic superpower raises several questions on what role Pacific basin nations will play in “the Pacific century”. What sta tus will the basin nations acquire in a

Japanese-dominated environment?

Will they be Japanese backwater bana na republics (similar to the unequal relationship between the US and its

dependent southern neighbours of

Latin America) or respectable trade partners with Japan and the world (akin to US/Canada relationships)?

Perpetual dependence may require

reconciliation at a later date under less than peaceful circumstances. Leaders must take an in-depth look at develop mental strategies. Could the basin effort be unknowinglv careering to ward disaster?

In Latin America we see US

supported dictatorships controlling a

discordant peasantry a peasantry left out of the economic equation of modernisation. Only the elites have

prospered, squandering profits on US

and European consumer goods rather than re-investing in local growth in effect, preventing any chance of wealth trickling down.

In Nicaragua, the Philippines, Haiti and South Africa attempts at recon ciliation have resulted in bloodshed.

In the Pacific, Fiji’s upheaval was caused in part by an economically motivated ethnic rivalry. As an econo mic underclass, native Fijians deman ded political superiority. This time a general was on their side. Perhaps Rabuka’s plan of development will les sen dependency and move Fiji closer to modernisation.

New Caledonia represents a witches’ cauldron. As nickel mining profits continue to flow out of New Caledonia the indigenes are denied fair and

equitable opportunities. A French

withdrawal tomorrow would only re sult in a dependent New Caledonia, unless nickel profits are re-invested in the local economy now.

To avoid fretting over similar sce narios in future, today’s basin leaders must ensure that the bywords of basin development are, for example, reaf forestation not deforestation; re

investment not disinvestment; econo mic incentives not economic disincen tives; fisheries development not fisher

ies depletion, and equal opportunity.

The basin nations must become energetic self-starters to attract Japanese investment. Relying on ex ports to Japan and the rest of the world to drive development will only

deny opportunities for meaningful

modernisation. At all costs, the basin nations must prepare for trade agree ments offering opportunities for self

sufficiency and national pride.

G W Comstock

California

Usa

Know These Pacific Ships?

A MARITIME museum at Jer vis Bay on the South Coast of NSW is recording, with the aid of photographs and artifacts, the history of Jervis Bay for the public.

Huskisson, a small town on Jervis Bay, was a thriving boat-building town from 1864 until 1980. Of the 120 ships known to have been built in Huskisson, seven were built especially for the Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands area. We have some informa tion on these ships, but are seeking any photographs, information or anec dotes about these ships that would help us in our research.

The Maclaren King was built in 1923 by Joseph Dent as a mission boat for New Guinea Mission.

The John Bolton was launched on February 11, 1933, arriving in Rabaul on June 1, 1933. This ship and the following ships were all built for W R Carpenter by R W Settrie 8c Son.

The Desikoko was launched May 28, 1934. In 1937 the Desikoko escaped the Rabaul volcano eruption but sank off Newcastle on January 9, 1947.

The Duranbah was launched on Au gust 5, 1936, and was seized by the Japanese on January 23, 1942.

However, she appears in the Austra lian New Zealand Register in 1946, and in Lloyds Register in 1947-48.

The Komaiwai, launched in 1947, escaped the Suva earthquake in 1953.

The Madang was launched in 1947.

The JBC, launched in 1949, was a wooden ketch. We have no informa tion on the last two ships.

We would be extremely grateful for any help readers may give us.

Vera Hatton

Tropicalities: Festival

IN 1971 I was asked to create and direct the first Pacific Festival of Arts, held in Suva in 1972. The object of the festival was to safeguard, resurrect and preserve the cultural heritage of the people of the Pacific islands. The concern of the South Pacific Commission in particular many of the leaders of island coun tries was that their cultures were

being stifled and endangered by the

impact of influence such as movies, television and pop music.

The first festival was a great success; for the first time in history the people of the islands came together to show the best of their dance, music, arts and crafts to the world. They began to understand and to respect the value of their own cultures; they saw and en joyed the work of their brothers and sisters from other islands.

It was decided to continue the fes tivals every four years, on each occa sion in a different host country. The emphasis and the reasons for the fes tivals were to remain the same; to show the best of each country’s cul tures and their development. It was never meant to be a forum for politic al activity; in fact the fourth festival scheduled for New Caledonia was can celled following attempts to transform it into a political platform.

Having been given the responsibility

to direct that first festival, I nave been involved as an adviser or as a very interested spectator in the festivals that followed. At the fifth festival, in Townsville, I was distressed to see the way the festival was heading.

Instead of the coming together of groups in brotherhood and friendship, at this last festival we saw a selfish emphasis on the unhealthy sponsoring of political activities. Even the festival logo did not follow the tradition that required it to embrace features common to all the Pacific; the sun, the Pacific Ocean and canoes.

The Townsville festival showed an unforgiveable lack of organisation; lit tle thought was given to helping the participating countries show their per formances to best advantage. Many were unable to present the full prog rams they had prepared for this festiv al programs that had been re hearsed over months and at consider able expense; there was no overall program of events and performers, Press and public were mostly in the dark as to what might or might not be performed, when and where on any

particular day.

This concerned many of the visiting delegation leaders who had been in volved in the other festivals. As a direct result of their wishes, and acting from my own concern about the festival’s future, I would like to restate some points I made in reports after the first and second festivals.

All future festivals should be held only in island countries. The islands of the South Pacific have a tradition of

hospitality; everybody becomes in

volved to welcome guests and honour them. In metropolitan countries this sense of tradition simply does not ex ist, and it is further marred by a mis informed media too often ignorant of Pacific affairs. In metropolitan coun tries the festival can also be a target or an opportune platform for poli tical activists, which is completely con trary to the aims of an arts festival. In Townsville one wondered if we were really attending a festival of the arts, so restrictive and rude was the army

of security personnel.

The metropolitan members of the South Pacific Commission France, Australia, New Zealand, England and the USA could best help this revival

by contributing financially to a Cultu

ral Fund. Even modest amounts set aside each year could accumulate in four years to create a worthwhile sum: for example, the millions the Austra lian Government gave for the Town sville festival could have provided $lOO,OOO each year for more than 50 years. This would have been much more valuable in supporting Pacific arts . . . and could have created good will for Australia that would have flowed throughout Oceania.

For each festival, half of this money could go to the host to help with the costs of feeding, housing and technical requirements. The rest could be di vided evenly among the South Pacific Commission nations that will partici pate in the next festival; this would give each a basic amount to start their own fund-raising to pay the costs of preparation and travel. What a boon this would be for small island coun tries! What a help to the Cook Islands, which has the responsibility of hosting the sixth festival in 1992.

I, like so many, feel very strongly that the festival is a worthwhile event, a ‘must’ for the South Pacific’s peoples if they are to retain their pride in their arts and cultures so these can survive and enrich the world. The fes tival must not be divisive: it must above all remain opposed to those ele ments that divide us, and instead should accent that which we can share: brotherhood, peace and joy. □

Victor Carell

Sydney Australia