NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Chamorro activism on Guam has experienced a huge upsurge in recent weeks because of the fear, concern and anger over the military buildup and the DEIS. There are plenty of new faces out there, new voices, and most importantly plenty of new tactics and strategies being employed. After the protests and very visible spectacles of Chamorro activists and groups such as Nasion Chamoru from the early and mid 1990’s, it was commonsensical for years to say that that sort of grassroots, nationalistic, progressive and inherently decolonial activism was dead. Although time passed, there were some very important victories, and a few big losses, it didn’t seem like the activists were changing as the island around them changed because of what they had done and accomplished. So for instance, the 1990’s was the decade for vibrant and shocking protests. They weren’t shocking because of any of the particular acts that the protestors conducted, but rather shocking simply because they existed. For an isl

I wrote a letter to the editor of The Pacific Daily News about why it seemed that only Chamorros are the one's on Guam who care about things such as decolonization, militarization, colonialism, imperialism, human rights and so on. My response was a pragmatic one, no real suprises there. This is the homeland of the Chamorro people, it has been there home for centuries, for millenia, and so regardless of how much you love the United States, and sleep with caressing your US passport each night, the cold-hard truth is that this land was taken from the Chamorro people in the 17th century, and different colonizers have come up with different claims to owning the island, but they all just try to cover over or legitimize the same old colonial wound. Just like with Native Americans and their various forms of loss and colonial trauma, they may find everyday ways to act like it doesn't matter, or it was all for the better, but it still hurts and there will always be a way in which the cur

It is very easy to go through life and see so many things that tower above you as invincible, as constant, as eternal, as something which once had a beginning, but cannot seem to possibly have an end. If you ever wonder why despite the geographic and political distance between Guam and the United States, why people here are so desperately loyal to America, it has alot to do with the idea that what is American is permanent or that what is American comes with some sort of guarantee. Whatever is American can bring stability and order, anything else, whether it comes from Guam or from another island or another country cannot really be trusted. Ti anggokuyon hafa ti Inamerikanu. That is of course one of the main reasons why in most people's minds in Guam there are two very simple equations to understanding the military buildup. 1. More military = more money. 2. More military = more security. The first one is debatable, but leans towards being true. More military on island does provi

Shiro's Head: The Muna Brothers (Kel and Don) are trying to raise money in order to fly to Los Angeles next month so they can screen their film "Shiro's Head" as part of the 25th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, from April 30, 2009 to May 7, 2009. A fundraiser will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. on April 21 at Ralphy's in East Agana. Proceeds from the event will pay for the Muna brothers' travel and accommodation expenses. For more information on their film Shiro's Head which premiered last year head to the its website: http://www.shirosheadthelegend.com/ *************************************** I Fuetsan I Taotao: The film's Director Alex Munoz has just received word that two NFL players, brothers Brandon and Femi Ayanbadejo are on board to play minor roles in the film, which will begin filming later this year. Munoz released the first issue of a mini-comic series to help build interest in the film and support Guam non-profits earlier this

Everytime I go to an event on Guam, I always see so many people with cameras running around. Filming everything, taking pictures. But then as I go around the "Guam" corner of the internet or the "Chamorro" corner of the internet, I don't see any of these things. I don't see the pictures, the videos, nothing. What do people do with the hours and hours of video they have? What do they do with all the pictures they take? Its s a real shame since most of these people have way better cameras than mine. For me though, there are so many things happening on Guam, and often times so little attention is given to them, even from people here. Often times, huge historic things will be taking place and people here will have no idea that they are going on. I guess when I upload my crappy videos of things happening on Guam, I'm doing my best to try and get the word and the visuals out to people. Here are some recent videos that I've uploaded onto either my Youtube

Plenty of things going on this coming weekend and so I thought I'd post info on all of them. Even if you're not on Guam its still important to keep up to date with what's happening on the island. Although when I was younger I would always hear that there's nothing happening or nothing to do on Guam , this is absolutely not the case anymore. Right now, there is, at some points, too much going on! ************************************************ OCT. 24 - "Puengen Spondylus" The Guam Gallery of Art and the Chamorro Artists Association present their fourth Orange Night, Spondylus Night, from 6 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 24 at The Guam Gallery of Art at the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña, during Arts and Humanities Month, in celebration of the Chamorro culture and in remembrance of their ancestors. There will be a special presentation by Christine Choe, an association member, who was selected to represent Guam at the recent ninth China Changchun International Sculpture