Return to Ouvea, New Caledonia

 by: David Stanley

“Ouvea is everything you’d expect in a South Pacific island. Twenty kilometers of unbroken white sands border the lagoon on the west side of the island and extend far out from shore to give the water a turquoise hue. The wide western lagoon, protected by a string of coral islands and a barrier reef, is the only of its kind in the Loyalties. On the ocean side are rocky cliffs, pounded by surf, but fine beaches may be found even here. At one point on this narrow atoll only 450 meters separates the two coasts. Traditional circular houses with pointed thatched roofs are still common in the villages.”

Those words appeared in the 1985 edition of my South Pacific Handbook after a visit in 1983. Just over 20 years later I returned to Ouvea to discover that little had changed in this French colony east of Australia.

Most Ouveans still live in traditional thatched case (houses) and the beach is as dazzling as ever. On my first evening there, as I watched the red fireball set slowly across the lagoon, I felt a strong affinity with my previous visit.

Yet something terrible had happened in my absence. On May 5, 1988, 300 French elite troops stormed a cave near Gossanah in northern Ouvea to rescue 16 gendarmes captured two weeks earlier by Melanesian freedom fighters.

Nineteen Kanaks (the collective name used by the indigenous peoples of New Caledonia) died in the assault, including several who suffered extrajudicial execution at the hands of the French police after being wounded and taken prisoner.

None of the hostages had been harmed. Thus began one of the final chapters of what is now known as the evenements (events) of the 1980s. Three years earlier independence leader Eloi Machoro had been murdered in cold blood by police snipers as he stood outside a rural farmhouse near La Foa, on New Caledonia’s main island, Grand Terre.

By 1987 France had 14,000 troops stationed in its mineral-rich Melanesian colony, one for every five Kanaks. The independence movement was to be crushed one way or another.

When I tried to visit the cave at Gossanah on my recent trip, I was told that the area was taboo to allow the spirits time to rest.

Instead I was permitted to visit the grave of Djoubelly Wea in Gossanah and allowed to take pictures of his home. My host on Ouvea told me the story. Evidently, the hostages had been taken by young Kanak activists from other parts of the island, and the captive gendarmes were brought to Gossanah only because the cave was considered remote.

Residents of the area weren’t involved. Yet when the French police arrived in search of their comrades, they rounded up the people of Gossanah and assembled them on a football field in front of the village church.

There they were tortured for information, and Wea’s father was among those who died of shock. Later 33 Ouveans were sent to prison in France, Djoubelly Wea among them.

These events chastened Kanaks and French alike, and the heads of the main political parties, the Kanak leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou and the representative of the French settlers Jacques Lafleur, were called to Paris by Prime Minister Michel Rocard to negotiate and eventually sign a peace treaty known as the Matignon Accords.

A referendum on independence was promised in 1998, and massive economic aid was to be channeled into the Kanak regions. An amnesty was granted to all those arrested during the troubles, and no investigation into the Ouvea massacre or the murders of several dozen other Kanaks by French settlers or troops would be required.

Fast forward to May 1989, as the top Kanak leaders Jean-Marie Tjibaou and Yeiwene Yeiwene arrive on Ouvea for a commemorative ceremony exactly one year after the massacre.

As the leaders are being received at the chefferie (chiefly house) of Wadrilla near the center of the island, Djoubelly Wea steps forward and shoots the pair dead at point blank range. Wea was reflecting a feeling still palpable in New Caledonia that Tjibaou had sold out to the French and derailed the struggle of independence.

Tjibaou’s bodyguard killed Wea, the final shot of the evenements. Today the chefferie of Wadrilla is much the same as it was in 1989, a large thatched case surrounded by a palisade of driftwood logs.

Across the coastal highway, a large monument has been erected to the 19 Kanak martyrs of 1988. Designed with two curving white walls to resemble a cave, the monument bears the photo, name, and date of birth of each victim.

Their traditional war clubs have been placed on the back side of the monument and their remains are interred below.

No memorial to Jean-Marie Tjibaou exists on Ouvea but the French have constructed a massive cultural center to his memory in their stronghold Noumea.

In fairness, it must be said that Tjibaou only considered the Matignon Accords a temporary stop on the road to independence. His assassination froze the agreement into a sort of permanent solution which the French have used to justify continuing colonial rule ever since.

The promised 1998 referendum was never held. Instead an updated treaty called the Noumea Accord was signed. This postponed the referendum for another 15 or 20 years and promised many things the French government has yet to deliver.

For example, a key provision creating a special New Caledonian citizenship status intended to control immigration from France was declared unconstitutional by a French court in 1999.

Metros (metropolitan French) continue to flood into the territory (in violation of United nations resolutions on the norms of conduct for colonial powers in non-self-governing areas) and Europeans may soon from a clear majority of the population.

Toward the end of my stay I visited the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center in the Tina Peninsula, 12 kilometers northeast of New Caledonia’s capital Noumea. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, it was built by French contractors between 1994 and 1998 at a cost of over US$50 million. The center opened on May 4, 1998, 10th anniversary of the assassination of Jean-Marie Tjibaou.

No visitor can help but be impressed by the spectacular botanical garden interwoven with references to Kanak legends which encircles the center’s three villages.

A contemporary art gallery, temporary and permanent exhibitions of Kanak and other Pacific art, a library, an audiovisual room, indoor and outdoor theaters, and a large ceremonial area are only some of the center’s outstanding features.

Yet the Tjibaou Cultural Center presents Kanak culture as a regional folklore rather than a national tradition.

Events such as the Ouvea Massacre and the other murders of the 1980s are barely mentioned. A room in Village Three provides photos and texts on the life of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, but there’s no explanation as to why he was assassinated or the background of his assassin.

The 19th century land seizures and the muscle flexing and maneuvering that have prevented independence are carefully avoided. The highlight for me was an amazing three-meter-high bronze statue of Tjibaou himself, clad in a Roman toga, on a hill overlooking the center.

Tjibaou was the last real Kanak leader, and in a land where the spirits of the dead have an important role in the lives of the living, his soul must be suffering.

About The Author David Stanley is the author of Moon Handbooks South Pacific http://www.southpacific.org/pacific.html which has a chapter on New Caledonia. His online guide to New Caledonia may be perused at http://www.southpacific.org/text/new_caledonia.html You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, so long as the byline and resource box are included. Please do not use this article without the byline and resource box. Many thanks!

The Charing Cross

 by: Steve Spry

Charing Cross Guest House is ideally situated in Glasgow and is the ideal city centre accommodation. Due to our location we are ideal for weekend breaks, a short holiday in Glasgow, or for a family getaway. Catering for large groups, guests will find we have a varied selection of rooms and you will find that this family run accommodation is a great place to stay.

You will find the city centre easily accessible where you will be free to explore everything that Glasgow has to offer. Close by to many shops and boutiques, there are also numerous bars, restaurants and nightclubs within walking distance.

If you perhaps are looking for a more cultured break, you are also handily situated nearby to many art galleries, museums. You can also take in your favourite show, indulge in your musician or band of choice, or enjoy a theatre performance in one of the many arts and music venues spread throughout this bustling city.

Glasgow is also host to many events in 2005; we have the Glasgow Film Festival running through February, featuring over 50 films from all over the world. There will be various screening shown in cinemas throughout the city ranging from past to present. There are also many folk and jazz festivals going on from month to month in Glasgow.

Why not try out some of the great range of music and comedy venues we will sure you will not be disappointed.

About The Author Steve Spry - http://www.glasgowpanorama.co.uk/glasgowpanorama/accommodation/guest_houses/the_charing_cross.php

Vervets: Criminals or Victims?

 by: S N James

Ill get you, ya varmin! Vermin - the scourge, tramps & vagabonds of the animal kingdom. This is the stereotypical view of vermin who are inconsequently considered a menace. In South Africa (SA) vermin paints a more disturbing picture. It is not overly well known of the disgraceful neglect the endangered wildlife have in the 3rd largest biosphere. I was shockingly made aware of this during a recent trip to the country.

The reason for the trip was to volunteer in the rehabilitation of the vervet monkey, indigenous to SA. This small, black faced, green skinned primate is one of such problem animals who are disregarded by authorities, despite the fact that it is listed as endangered.

I had no clue what a vervet was or aware of the vermin tag and what it meant when I had arrived. Rehabilitating the vervet was one of the possible rabbits picked out of the hat, my aim was purely volunteering and to see if I could make a difference.

Killing for food, for survival or even to protect your livelihood would be natural. This would seem to be a valid reason, but what if the information available portrays a distorted and inaccurate image. Coupled with the typical view that comes with this classification, could other motives be involved or just making an opportunity from it? Consider the Matapatcha affair. It is an organisation that deals in the supply of monkeys to labs. One of their clients is one that conducted activities within a government owned nature reserve. Despite if there is or not a connection, there are organisations who will with no ethics exploit these animals for their own personal gain. Or even to justify the killing of them.

The vermin laws in SA allow you to kill any problem animal without any consequential criminal charges. For example, the underlying reason for farmers in the agricultural industry for murdering these animals is the belief that they damage their crops and thus their income. Arthur Hunt of the Vervet Monkey Foundation has closely studied the vervet monkey for nearly two decades and dedicated for life to learning further. Part of his research has been whether they do cause damage to crops. Accompanied by the farmer in nearly every case visited Mr Hunt had shown with his acquired knowledge that the monkey doesnt damage their crops.

Out of these cases he has found that the monkeys do eat the crops. But, Mr Hunt says that the vervets do not consume unripe food. He has found that they only eat the edible part of fruit, fallen to the ground, caused from an insect. Therefore, as the fruit is unlikely to be sold and is thus perishable due to the insect, no original damage was caused to their income by vervets. Also, fruit sold in markets are picked unripe giving no reason for the monkeys to eat them.

As you encroach upon an area, a point comes when human meets animal. The outcome of this interaction depends on our view and attitude towards the animal. So, when a troop of vervets came down from the hills near Ga-Rankawa Hospital near Pretoria it was reported that a nurse was injured from being scared and the hospital employees were victims. This would be a natural reaction given the negative image.

The vervet are not only ones, even the African wild dogs have been the victims of this also. According to the WWF website [www.wwf] the killing has resulted in immense decline in their range and numbers on whose populations continue to dwindle only 500 or so remain. Instead of being detested they are quickly becoming a tourist attraction. Hopefully this will help towards eradicating the vermin label. The Green Bank (a subsidiary of WWF) are even funding a project to aid this canine. Theres hope yet.

Is there? Certainly not if people exist such as this following individual. He advertises killer instruments, the most efficient ways to kill vermin. They include gin traps , neck traps and 1080 poison. Possession of the former is banned in 90 countries including those in the EU. Even worse the poison is banned worldwide due to its potential threat. One spoonful of this stuff can kill a hundred people.

Even with the well known Kruger National Park there is much to do for wildlife conservation in South Africa. The killing of the large animals may have stopped but given time and awareness of the vermin classification may hopefully change attitudes towards saving the grandfather of the ape world and other such problem animals.

About The Author S N James is a freelance writer based in the UK.

The Weather Forecast on Your Computer

 by: David Leonhardt

I use the Internet to find just about every type of information. Even the weather.

Sure, I could just stick my head out the window and call out, “Hello. What’s the weather forecast today?” But if the response is “hurricanes, hail and meteor storms”, I don’t want my head to be on the wrong side of the window when the answer comes down.

Plus, that won’t help me fine-tune my last minute travel plans.

So I turn to the Internet. There are three really easy ways to get a good weather forecast over the Internet:

Weather forecast websites:

There are some good weather forecast websites. The one I use most often, because I am in Canada, is The Weather Network http://www.theweathernetwork.com ), and I also like CNN ( http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/ ).

CNN gives current conditions and a five day forecast. The Weather Network provides more detail, with a short term forecast ( this evening, tonight, tomorrow morning, etc.) and a longer term forecast over the next six days. The Weather Network provides the most detail of all the options, but it takes longer to download than the progress of climate change (so don’t do it on a 26K modem!) Both offer forecasts for cities worldwide.

Weather forecast software:

A second way, which does not even require going to a website, is to get current conditions right on your desktop. There are free weather forecast software downloads, such as http://www.weather4you.info that display key data right on your desktop, and even provide a text summary one click away.

Weather forecasts on the desktop are probably the fastest way to get local weather information, and the data is updated every five minutes. The display can be set up for local weather, but a couple clicks allows for a quick check of conditions form almost every weather monitoring station in the world ideal for making last minute travel plans

Weather forecasts by Google:

A third way to access the weather forecast is through Google. Yes, the find-everything search engine has added weather to its repertoire. For instance, search Google for “weather Orlando”, without the quotation marks, and see what you get.

At the time of writing, this service is available only to cities in the USA (I presume Americans get more weather than other people.). However, it will hopefully be available everywhere by the time you read this article.

Google’s is the least precise weather forecast of the options, but fairly quick and simple to reach if you are looking for information on a city in the USA.

All three options are worthwhile, whether preparing for the daily commute or making travel and vacation plans. So pull in your head, close that window and log on. Why stick your neck out when there is weather on your computer.

About The Author David Leonhardt is a website marketing consultant: http://www.seo-writer.net And an SEO consultant http://www.seo-writer.net/freelance/seo-consultant.html He is building a travel directory at: http://www.wv-travel-directory.com Info@thehappyguy.com