“How radical our elders were,” Kyle Kajihiro shared. On October 21, 2016, Kyle helped historicize some of the lines of inspiration and connection between Oceania Rising and the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) organization. He explained that the early years of the organization, as the Nuclear Free Pacific, were shaped by the larger peace powers and activist organizations. But in 1980, the Protect Kahoolawe Ohana helped turn the tide. In the 1980s, the PKO was getting active in international activism to help disrupt RIMPAC exercises in Hawai’i. In 1983, at the NFP meeting in newly independent Vanuatu, the Pacific Islander delegates led the push to add the “I” into the organization’s heart and demands. What a proud contribution and example of the value of our particular struggle as Islanders.
Kyle traveled to the 2003 NFIP meeting in Tonga, and shared his impressions of that meeting: that the group had suffered from a lack of funding and change in leadership. It was exciting to meet in the middle of Tonga’s democracy movement. There were translation issues. One of the things that made the greatest impression on him was the leadership by PI delegates to foreground the importance of cultural protocol during meetings.
Some sources for more information about NFIP:
Documentary trailer by Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina
Charter by NFIP (“beautiful like the Black Panthers Charter”)
Kekuni Blaisdell on the NFIP
Jennifer Vehia Wheeler shared a fierce zine called Pacific Women Speak. We werenʻt able to talk about the gender dynamics and contribution of women to the NFIP, but that would have been a valuable conversation! Hopefully next time Aunty Terri can attend.
Questions that came up for OR include: looking at the issue of nuclear energy, not just nuclear testing. Also, when can we stop being consumed by resistance…
Following Kyleʻs presentation, I then shared about a new hui, Oceania Interrupted, as an example of a cousin organization to Oceania Rising. Their work educating those in New Zealand about the destruction and genocide in West Papua is something that OR can learn a lot from. As a womenʻs artistic hui, Oceania Interrupted engages in creative strategic interventions into public consciousness–ranging from gagged processions to interviews with family and friends, to raising the Morning Star in busy streets. They carefully document these actions to share these solidarity examples with others in the Pacific. I found their guerilla style of growth attractive, as they describe here:
With each new action, the collective evolves to incorporate more women from diverse walks of life, from politicians to artists, librarians, kickboxers, academics, teachers and students, to social workers and public servants. It is an accommodating, affirming and empowering platform to perform an act of political activism that centralises Māori and Pacific women and their communities.
After discussing NFIP and OI, we then practiced some creative worldmaking of our own. We took inspiration from Oceania Interruptedʻs action “Freedom Is…” and with crayons and markers and pastels, we drew and colored and wrote poems and words that explored this concept for ourselves. We then pledged to share these creations on our social media, with links back to all these organizations who give us heart to keep fighting. This is how we make our genealogies of resistance and freedom.
We also promised to plan a NFIP-focused part of FestPac 2020, to be held on Oʻahu! Eō!
–Aiko Yamashiro
OCEANIA RISING 