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Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
Special to ICT
Around the world: A festival honors Pacific Island culture, a project unites newcomers and Indigenous people through shared narratives, health disparities among Māori persist, and police interrogate and beat Tibetans arrested in dam protest.
AUSTRALIA: Festival honors Pacific Island culture
The inaugural Aiga Festival, led by Samoan musician and co-director Taitu’uga Kitch and Tongan content creator Havea676 in partnership with Tatou Aiga, signifies a noteworthy achievement as the premier Pacific Island event to grace South Bank in Meanjin, the National Indigenous Times reported on Feb. 23.
The Aiga Festival, scheduled for March 2, is a free event eagerly anticipated by many.
Aiga (meaning “family” in Samoan) Festival promises a diverse array of performances representing various Pacific nations such as Samoa, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and Niue, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Additionally, attendees can explore food stalls and participate in workshops.
Taitu’uga Kitch highlights the significance of hosting such a cultural celebration at South Bank. “The heart of Brisbane’s South Bank, Meanjin, holds significant cultural importance as a place of ancient ancestry for the Turrbal and Yuggaera peoples, fostering a rich tradition of cultural exchange.
“It serves as a gathering point for Indigenous communities from the Pacific islands, where food, dance and spirit converge, emphasizing the vital role of preserving culture for future generations.”
The program boasts a smoking ceremony by Turrbal man Uncle Joe Kirk, with esteemed guests Mick Gooda and Murry Saylor set to attend.
Co-Director Josefo Nauer expressed the festival’s broader mission, stating, “We want to bridge the gap between cultures in Australia. We started off doing festivals for the Samoans, but now we have sponsorships from Southbank Corp and other organizations. We are very grateful we can put this event on for the community.”
Aiga Festival serves as a platform for promoting cultural awareness and identity, particularly targeting young people to address gaps in cultural identity and provide positive pathways away from youth crime.
Tatou Aiga founder, Charlie Pualau, known as “Samoan Superman,” underscored the goal of instilling cultural pride in today’s youth. “For myself, it’s so important to hold an event like this for the community,” he said, according to the National Indigenous Times.
“Looking at things like the World Cup, you see people taking a lot of pride in their culture, and we want to make sure we bring that to the kids especially.”
CANADA: Project unites newcomers
Two individuals chosen as collaborators for an art initiative aimed at bridging Indigenous communities and newcomers said they established a profound connection throughout the process of crafting their project, CBC News reported on February 22.
“I’m very grateful to have this opportunity to share my story, and it was my brother who got me into this,” said Aaron McKay.
“I will also say that Aaron is a brother,” said Izzeddin Hawamda, according to CBC News.
“I am honoured to work alongside Aaron McKay and to learn from his wisdom.”
McKay and Hawamda are part of the WhereWeStand project, a multimedia storytelling collaboration bringing together Indigenous people and newcomers to co-create expressions of identity on the colonial construct of Canada. Fourteen artists in all participated, creating film, art installations, spoken word and multimedia works.
The project is set to premiere this weekend in Halifax and Brantford, Ontario.
McKay is Anishinaabe from Rolling River First Nation and lives in Minnedosa, Manitoba, while Hawamda is Palestinian and lives in Winnipeg.
The pair say they share feelings of displacement and a loss of ownership of their own stories. Their project “We are here, but we are also there” aims to capture that narrative.
“We’re trying to find ways to tell the world and remind the world that we are not just numbers, we are humans and we have families and we have faces,” said Hawamda, according to CBC News.
Hawamda and McKay’s initiative encompasses film, spoken word, and a healing song. Hawamda, who arrived in Canada nearly 18 years ago, recounted frequently encountering negative stereotypes about Indigenous peoples. However, through learning from them, he now perceives their beauty and acknowledges their shared challenges.
He emphasized the potency of storytelling in reminding others of their humanity and the intricacies of their experiences.
“Sometimes my country is not even on the map or it’s referred to as occupied territories or occupied Palestinian territories and in doing so it has always been part of who I am to try to explain to people I am beyond occupation. I am not just occupied,” said Hawamda, according to CBC News
NEW ZEALAND: Māori face disparate health outcomes
The Health Status Report from Health New Zealand highlights a notable gap in health outcomes between Māori and Pasifika communities compared to non-Māori groups, the Te Ao Maori News reported on Feb. 20.
Although there have been advances in national health indicators such as decreased smoking rates and increased life expectancy, the report underscores persistent disparities experienced by Māori and Pasifika communities. These inequities manifest in significant gaps in life expectancy and higher rates of chronic illnesses, emphasizing the imperative for tailored health interventions and concerted efforts to address health equity.
“The report includes some very positive results for New Zealand,” chief executive Fepulea’i Margie Apa said, according to Te Ao Maori News. “We are seeing improvements in longevity and decreases in mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Our life expectancy continues to grow, outpacing many other countries, and we managed to avoid a significant increase in deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The report highlights a notable achievement: daily smoking rates have fallen below 10 percent, currently standing at 6.8 percent. Despite this progress, significant health disparities persist, particularly between Māori and non-Māori, and Pacific and non-Pacific populations, including gaps in life expectancy.
Other challenges outlined in the report include an aging population, rising obesity rates, preventable diseases, alcohol-related harm, and mental health concerns.
In response, Health NZ and the Māori Health Authority are collaborating on the development of the next three-year New Zealand Health Plan.
The plan will incorporate the report’s data and the Government Policy Statement on Health, along with Health Minister Dr Shane Reti’s health targets, to prioritize improvements in health outcomes. “The health data in the report helps us identify our priority areas for improvements in health outcomes over the next three years,” Apa said, according to Te Ao Maori News.
The report underscores significant health concerns in New Zealand, with one in three adults having a BMI of 30 or higher, posing risks to their well-being. Additionally, it points out the projected annual increase of 3.8 percent in the population aged 75 and older, which will strain health services. Moreover, the report highlights the escalating issues of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, alcohol-related harm, and rising psychological distress and self-harm among the population.
CHINA: Police interrogate and beat Tibetans
On Saturday, Chinese authorities initiated extensive and aggressive interrogations of Tibetans detained for protesting a dam project. Some were subjected to severe beatings, necessitating medical treatment, Radio Free Asia reported on Feb. 24.
On Friday, Radio Free Asia reported exclusively that police had arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans — both Buddhist monks and local residents — of Wangbuding township in Dege County of Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, in central China.
The detainees were “slapped and beaten severely each time they refused to answer important questions,” one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity for personal safety, according to Radio Free Asia. “Many had to be taken to the hospital.”
Since Feb. 14, monks and residents had been peacefully protesting the planned construction of the Gangtuo hydropower dam on the Drichu River, known as Jinsha River in Chinese.
The dam will force two major communities to be relocated and submerge several monasteries, including the Wonto Monastery, famous for ancient murals dating back to the 13th century.
“One of the monks from Wonto Monastery was among those who had to be immediately rushed to the hospital because he had been beaten so badly that he could not even speak,” the first source said. “He also had many severe bruises on his body.”
Many of those arrested were being held in a police station in Upper Wonto while many others were being held in an old prison in Dege County, sources said, according to Radio Free Asia.
The detainees are being held in various other places throughout Dege County as the police do not have a place to detain more than 1,000 individuals in a single location.
“In these detention centers, the arrested Tibetans were not given any food, save for some hot water, and many passed out because of the lack of food amid the freezing temperatures,” the second source said.
On Friday, Radio Free Asia learned that the arrested Tibetans were told to bring their own bedding and tsampa – a Tibetan staple — which sources said were an indication the detainees would not be released anytime soon.
China has also imposed COVID-19-like restrictions in Dege County and deployed a large number of police to the areas where Tibetans have been detained, including in Upper Wonto, to bring the situation under control, the sources said, according to Radio Free Aasia.
“Each of the police units brought in from outside Dege have been tasked with controlling a community each and for carrying out strict surveillance and suppression of the people there,” a third source said, according to Radio Free Asia.
Police began arresting the protesters on Thursday, Feb. 22. Citizen videos shared exclusively with RFA showed Chinese officials dressed in black forcibly restraining monks, who can be heard crying out to stop the dam construction.
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are in New Zealand, where I want to commend a significant achievement of reducing daily smoking rates below 10 percent, currently standing at 6.8 percent.
However, it’s crucial to acknowledge the persistent health disparities that continue to afflict Māori and non-Māori, as well as Pacific and non-Pacific populations. These inequities, notably in life expectancy, highlight systemic injustices that demand urgent attention and action.
To address these disparities, it is imperative for policymakers and healthcare authorities to implement targeted interventions aimed at improving the health outcomes of marginalized communities. This includes ensuring equitable access to healthcare services, culturally appropriate interventions, and addressing the social determinants of health such as poverty, education, and housing.
Moreover, meaningful engagement with affected communities is essential to develop solutions that address their specific needs and challenges. Only through concerted efforts and commitment to health equity can we truly overcome these disparities and ensure the well-being of all individuals in New Zealand.
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