Conserving
p. 56 · Read in the full issue
Opinion
Pacific culture
The appointment of a non-Pacific Islander to the post of Cultural Affairs Adviser (CAA) at the South Pacific Commission (SPC) has been viewed with a certain degree of scep ticism by some countries in the region.
Yves Corbel took up the post of CAA in August, 1996 and while not naive of the fact that he was a non-islander, said he did not anticipate the degree of hostility to which he was subject. Corbel says he faced strong competition from regional applicants for the French-funded CAA post and anticipated some degree of hos tility but the level of bad feeling took him
by surprise.
“The concept of cultural development has been recently developed,” Corbel says. “Aid agencies have realised that projects fail when consideration is not given to culture.
“There is now a global move toward redefinition of development and cultural analysis is an important issue.
“Culture is the hand of development.
There are other issues which have tradi tionally been considered part of culture
such as preserving the heritage of indige nous pe o pi e “However, how this is to be preserved
is important.”
Corbel says differences exist in terms of cultural preservation and revival in n r- \ • . . . • , Pacific countries and territories such as the Federated States of Micronesia and Guam, where the former is attempting to preserve culture and the latter revive it.
“Pacific Islanders are wanting to forge a new identity while trying to preserve t heir traditional values. Some communi tjes need to redefine culture and return to their roo t s to nurture a process of building a new identity ” a second aspect of Corbel is to devel 0p new wa y S to showcase cultures. Many p ac if lc Island countries and territories h aV e seen traditional structures destroyed through migration and the introduction of ou tside influences Corbel’s first physical contact with the region in his capacity as CAA came at the South Pacific festival of Arts in Apia, Western Samoa, in September, 1996. The Council of Pacific Arts is the ruling body Q f t he f es pval The §pg j s the interim secretariat of
the festival although the council is its own
decision-making body.
Corbel, who visited the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam a few weeks after the festival of arts, says it is easy to understand the arduous task of those fighting to revive the island’s Chamorro identity but efforts are beginning to show results.
“Chamorro language has been reinstat ed in schools. Considerable efforts are being made to ensure that traditional knowledge and skills are passed on to the younger generation and traditional dance is undergoing a vigorous renaissance,” he says.
“Experimental ways of firing tradi tional Chamorro pottery are being tried without there being any plans to resume
pottery-making.
“On the other hand, no one seems capable of making the traditional canoes of Guam any longer and traditional fish
ing techniques are dying out.
“However, the revival of the Chamorro culture raises great enthusiasm on the island.
“Chamorro culture is today facing
formidable challenges [particularly] when
the younger generation appears to be per meated with American culture.
“[The question arises whether or not] a culture severed from its social and eco nomic foundations can be revived.”
Corbel says discussions enabled him to determine the extreme diversity of atti tudes of regional states and territories
with regard to heritage site protection.
“Where protection itself is concerned, many factors need to be considered in order to evaluate the legislation (when it exists) and its application: who is the landowner? What is the community atti tude to the heritage? What is the state’s real power in this sphere? How do coun tries resist economic interests when they come into conflict with protection of a
heritage site?”
Corbel says his trip to the Northern Pacific revealed strong contrasts between Micronesian countries and territories
enjoying economic prosperity, accompa
nied by an advanced stage of accultura tion, including those with difficulty in achieving development but which to vary ing degrees (appear) to have managed to preserve their indigenous cultures. He says countries and territories have expressed a desire to refuse imposed cul tural integration and to forge individual identities through the protection and pro motion of cultural heritage while develop ing contact with other Pacific cultures. Corbel says there exists a wide range of expectations of the SPC’s cultur al programme, particularly with regard to the protection of intellectual property rights and rights over cultural heritage. ■