You’re reading The Husk's Weekender, a countdown/roundup of miscellanea from Micronesia, Guam, and Earth.

bits from FestPAC 2024¹ from the early days now that the end is near

Ahead of the start of the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, Tarcisius Kabutaulaka and Tammy Tabe wrote this opinion piece that ran in Honolulu Civil Beat. I’ve had the pleasure of learning from social anthropologist Tammy Tabe during the RPIL fellowship, and I really appreciated her insight into Pacific island issues. Importantly Tammy and Tarcisius note the absence of Kanaky/New Caledonia at FestPAC and bring up important issues about militarization, colonialism, and commodification of Pacific arts by non-Pacific Islanders in this piece. From their article:

“As Pacific Islanders gather, showcase, celebrate and share their arts and cultures at the 13th FestPAC in Honolulu, this is also an opportunity to highlight the ongoing impacts of issues such as colonialism and militarism, and for visitors to learn more about the struggles of their Kanaka Maoli hosts.

This is also an opportunity to discuss how cultural creators and producers should be protected, and the role of arts and culture in the sustainable livelihood of Pacific peoples. Let us use arts and culture to protect Oceania.”

• Marshall Islands delegates saying it out LOUD at the Parade of Nations. This Micronesianviral clip went, well, viral.

micronesianviral

A post shared by @micronesianviral

Absolutely proud. Several highlights from the opening ceremony for me: Peep the Guåhan delegation bringing the Kanaky flag. (Just colonial struggles recognizing colonial struggles.) And the entire FSM presentation had me laughing and crying and in shambles, generally.

• Check out this reel from Manny Crisostomo, renowned photog from Guåhan.

mannycphotos

A post shared by @mannycphotos

• Also, I have been basically living vicariously through @Sousedlife, a renowned Micronesian production company, this past week.

sousedlife

A post shared by @sousedlife

• BONUS: As always, excellent reporting by Anita Hofschneider, daughter of Micronesia, senior staff writer for Grist: A rare celebration of Indigenous Pacific cultures underscores the cost of climate change

FestPAC is coming to a close, and everyone is sad about it.

recent articles about Kanaky

• RNZ | 9 dead since start of New Caledonia unrest

• Islands Business | New Caledonia reels as President Macron dissolves French parliament

• Islands Business | A message to Macron: ‘You can’t negotiate with a gun to your head’

recent reports from the USIP

• U.S. Institute of Peace released this report on “defense diplomacy” increasing in Pacific islands. From the report:

[I]t wasn’t until 2018 — when the Pacific Islands Forum formally recognized “the dynamic geopolitical environment leading to an increasingly crowded and complex region” in the Boe Declaration on Regional Security — that defense diplomacy emerged as a key instrument for engagement by a range of external actors competing for presence and influence in the Pacific. Our tracker shows a steady increase from 2018 to 2023 punctuated by a slight decrease between 2019 and 2021 (owing to border closures prompted by COVID-19) followed by a sharp rise from 2022 to 2023.

• China’s Edge in the Pacific Islands: Xi Jinping Makes Time for Leaders by Camilla Pohle

• podcast episode worth watching

Really engaging conversation with Theresa Arriola and Moneaka Flores on the Fanachu Podcast. “Free and open” Indo-Pacific has been rattling around in my head. Theresa and Moneaka eloquently dive into that phrase — and more — in a way that resonates.

With each Weekender issue we’ll leave you with a send-off song (not necessarily from a Micronesian artist) curated by my brother, Henry, whose musical tastes have left a lifelong impression on me and, now hopefully, you.

This month’s send-off song is “Drinkin’ Problem.” My brother sent the version by Midland but I’ve been hitting the Ekolu version heavyyyy.

We’re building a send-off song playlist on Spotify that includes the songs mentioned in past Weekender posts. Check it out.

Drinkin' Problem Midland

Drinkin' problem Ekolu

Thank you for reading! Have a great weekend,

Jasmine