NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Okinawa Activists on Guam to Share Struggles and Support Community’s Request to Halt Construction of Marines’ Range at Northwest Field   FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (October 23,2017 – Hagåtña)   A community collective comprised of members of Independent Guåhan, Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian, the Guåhan Coalition for Peace and Justice, Fuetsan Famalao’an and the University of Guam’s Women and Gender Studies Program are collaborating to host a week-long visit with a group of grassroots activists from Okinawa called No Helipad Takae Resident Society.   The No Helipad Takae Resident Society is committed to protecting their village, which is the location of the Yanbaru Rainforest, the main source for fresh drinking water in Okinawa and home to thousands of endemic species, many of which are listed as critical or endangered.  In 1957, the U.S. military began using the Northern Training Area in the Yanbaru rainforest as a jungle warfare-training site for U.S.

The film American Soil, Chamorro Soul premiered last week at the University of Guam Film Festival. The documentary is currently on sale through the website Chamorro Film . Head there to watch it online or purchase a DVD. I'll be posting more about the film as I was involved in the filming of it as an informant and a consultant. It is a very interesting and exciting short documentary about contemporary Chamorro culture. Below is an article about the film and the director Jessica Peterson. *********************** Where Does America's Day Begin? by Amanda Pampuro Guam Daily Post April 3, 2016 From cultural resurgence to sustainability, healthcare and tourism, the documentary short “American Soil, Chamorro Soul” raises a number of questions. Painting “intimate portraits of Chamorro people living their culture,” the film features master dancer Frank Rabon leader of Tao Tao Tano, carver Ron Acfalle as he rebuilds the ancient proa as best he can, and Audrey Meno who

Come along! and be part of this exciting  series of event!!!! The inaugural seminar series of the School of Education and Chamorro Studies “Around the Latte Stone Series” kicks off this Thursday 15th October, 2015  at 2pm-4p in the School of Education lounge , University of Guam, Guam, USA & Northern Pacific. Topic: “War for Guam”-a documentary and a discussion by the film co-producer Mr Baltazar Aguon; With…An Introductory Comment by the 10th President of the University of Guam and Former Congressman, Dr. Robert Underwood, a traditional welcome and chant and more…. The Acting head of Chamorro Studies at Guam DOE Rufina Mendiola and her team will also be at hand to assist with the organization for the day’s event Food and drinks will be available to share… Come along!!!! Unaisi and Michael (coordinators) [Dr. Nabobo-Baba & Dr. Bevacqua]

Chamorro Studies @ UOG Proudly presents a special screening of: "WAR FOR GUAM" Directed by Frances Negron-Muntaner A 57-minute documentary that chronicles the Chamorro story during and after World War II. A panel will take place after the film and a Q and A with the audience.  CLASS Lecture Hall UOG 6 - 7:30 pm Light Refreshments will be Provided Please contact Professor Michael Lujan Bevacqua for more information at mlbasquiat@hotmail.com http://www.warforguam.com

The documentary "War for Guam" premiered last month across the US and its territories. There were two showings of it on the local PBS Guam, KGTF. It was incredibly exciting to see this documentary finally be finished, as I first worked on it more than 10 years ago while a graduate student in Micronesian Studies at UOG. I was hired as the local producer who set up the interviews and locations. I cannot help by feel a heavy dose of nostalgia as I watched the documentary and recalled so many moments in the production. Part of the nostalgia was feeling the loss of several individuals who were gracious enough to participate in the film, but who passed away before they could ever see it finished. In this moment as I am writing I find it difficult to even type their names down. A flood of moments during the production and beyond race down to my fingertips, causing my fingers to pause and lock. On June 15th at 6 pm at UOG, in the CLASS Lecture Hall the Chamorro Studies program wi

Come this Thursday for a screening of the Insular Empire organized by the Hope for Guam Committee. Check out the flyer below for details:

This Thursday at 6 pm at the Dededo Senior Center I'll be on a panel to discuss a rough cut of the documentary "Island Soldier." The film by Nathan Fitch is about the experiences of FSM Citizens who serve in the US military. I have been hearing about this film for quite a while from its director and I'm very excited to see what he has created. Micronesia is often dismissed by the world due to its smallness and its distance from places that are considered to be naturally important. What can there be of value here expect for those things which people associate with smallness, isolation and getting away from the "real" world. But one thing that this part of the world and the American Empire can claim is to have overwhelming per capita enlistment statistics in the US military. It is something that anyone who knows the United States in terms of its statistics or numerical reality is aware of, but is unsure how to process. The collection of islands that the US

Bluem Pacific will be hosting its first Film Workshop Series on September 2nd 2012! Explore how to write a script, get tips and advice on acting, learn how to choreograph awesome fight scenes, and much more at the UOG Lecture Hall starting at 3pm! All workshops will be intro-styled workshops, so don’t you dare be intimidated about anything! Following the workshops, is a film showcase exhibiting 100% locally produced films that promote culture appreciation, environmental care, and community development! Both the Film Workshop series & the Film Showcase will be FREE!? Wow Wee!!! *IMPORTANT INFO – All workshop participants under 18 years of age must have a parent/legal guardian present to register. Registration begins at 230PM in the UOG Lecture Hall. Event Location: UOG Lecture Hall (between The English and Communications Bldg and The Humanities and Social Sciences Bldg) Workshop Series: 3PM to 6PM Film Showcase: 6PM to 9PM The mission of Bluem Pacific is:

Tonight my grandfather (Tun Jack Lujan) and I will be on a panel at the T. Stell Newman Center near the entrance to Big Navy. We'll be talking about the film Families Under Siege, created by the Guam Humanities Council on the effect of World War II on Chamorro families. Panel is at 6 pm. It'll begin with a screening of most of the film, followed by reactions from the panelists, and then a question and answer period. See the flyer for more details.

I ran into Kel Muna the other day in the parking lot of UOG and he had some exciting news. Last year him and Don helped organize the Guam International Film Festival. It was a huge success, bringing in dozens of films from the Pacific and elsewhere to Guam. They are organizing a second film festival to take place this Fall in either September or October. I am so excited about this, I am absolutely planning on submitting a short film for consideration. No ideas what it'll be about yet, but I will for sure submit something. In the meantime, the Muna Brothers are helping organize for Pacific Islanders in Communication, a screening tomorrow (3/30) titled "Deep Water" and features to films, one from the Marianas The Insular Empire, and one from Hawai'i Under a Jarvis Moon. I'm looking forward to this screen tomorrow night. If you have the time, an gailugat hao, saonao lokkue'.

Inetnon Gefpago is proud to present three special screenings of Guahan: Fanhasso, Fanhita, Fanachu at the University of Guam this week. April 27 - 11 am  and 6:30 pm April 29 - 11 am At the CLASS Lecture Hall The duration of each screening is 2 1/2 hours. Admission is $10. If you are a student of mine at UOG (and there are close to 200 of you) then you can get extra credit for attending. Gof magof hu na ma fa'nu'nu'i este giya UOG. Hu ayuda fuma'tinas este, yan Hami yan i male'-ku as Victoria tumuge' gui'.

On Thursday night I was on a panel for a film screening at UOG. After the film we had a short discussion about the film and took some questions from the audience. The question I received from the audience was about how the people of Guam, Chamorros and non-Chamorros can speak out with one voice with regards to the buildup and thus take control of it. I thought about that questions for the moment, and couldn't really come up with a decent or hopeful answer. That surprised me, but I guess given how things have played out in terms of the US military buildup to Guam since 2005 I shouldn't be. I have been asked that same question in so many forms in these past five years, more frequently in the past year, but my answer has constantly changed, depending on how the island has changed or has not changed. Early on, I was fighting against the inevitability that people were infusing into the buildup despite not knowing anything about it. My answers were long and rambling, always hopeful

GLOBAL MILITARISM: GLOBAL PEACE? A DOCUMENTARY FILM/ DISCUSSION SERIES The third film in the Global Militarism: Global Peace? documentary film/discussion series for the Fall semester 2010 is scheduled for 6 p. m. Thursday, November 18, CLASS Lecture Hall, UOG Campus. This series is co-sponsored by the Division of Social Work and the Communication Program at the University of Guam in cooperation with the Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice and WeAreGuahan. Each film in this series explores the dynamics of global militarism and its impacts in different parts of the world. Each screening is followed by commentary by three panelists and facilitated discussion. This event is free and open to the public. UOG and GCC faculty and high school teachers are encouraged to offer this film event as an extra credit option. The featured film on November 18 is Noho Hewa: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai'i by Hawaiian filmmaker Anne Keala Kelly. Kelly is a native journalist and filmmaker who