NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

  Recently Senator Will Parkinson introduced a resolution to I Liheslaturan Guåhan calling for a full examination of statehood or another autonomous status. In his statement explaining the resolution he equated statehood for Guam with ensuring the island’s survival.   Is statehood really the only choice for Guam’s future?   This Friday, May 2nd from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Guam Museum, Independent Guåhan will be holding a community forum discussing some of the implications of what statehood might mean for the island. This event is free and open to all. Former UOG President and non-voting delegate for Guam Robert Underwood will also offer his reflections as part of the discussion.   Artwork in flyer courtesy of Teihini Davis   **************   Three Things You Should Know About Statehood for Guam 1.         Unlike Independence, where all people have the right to be free and right to self-determin...

 Maila ya ta fambaila! Independent Guåhan is having an IndepenDaNCE fundraiser this Friday, March 28th from 7-11 pm at Good Company. There will be a Cha Cha Competition with prizes, raffle and silent art and book auction and mångnge music by Ma’lak Mo’na.    Tickets are just $15 and it includes a drink.    We are fundraising to support art and community projects that we have planned for the rest of the year.  Having an IndepenDANCE fundraiser is something Independent Guåhan has been talking, joking and dreaming about since we first started 9 years ago.  This will be a nice way to end Mes Chamoru this year and also hopefully get us primed for some important, creative community collaborations on the horizon. 

Every day I have a conversation about Guam and its political status and decolonization. At least once a week though, I have a conversation about decolonization or political status that crosses territorial lines.  It might be between Guam and any of the other territories or colonies of the United States.  It might be just a comparative discussion about where each territory is at. It might be a conversation undertaken to talk about how one territory should learn the lessons that others have.  For example, Puerto Rico being so much larger than the other territories, it is common to see the Independence movement there as looming large, and to feel that there is much other territories can learn from Puerto Rican independence activists about growing or sustaining their own movements.  But the visibility of the movement, especially given the larger population of Puerto Ricans in general, can sometimes obscure the fact that within Puerto Rico, the dynamics are much more comp...

My testimony give last week to the United Nations Committee of 24 Regional Seminar on Decolonization held in St. Lucia. ***************** A Growing Foundation, but still an Uncertain Future for Guam’s Quest for Decolonization Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Ph.D. Co-Chair, Independent Guåhan Curator, Guam Museum   Si Yu’os Ma’åse na makombibida yu’ mågi ta’lo para bai hu saonao gi este matua na dinanña’. Gi tinestigu-hu på’go, bai hu sangåni hamyo put i halacha na hiniyong gi islå-ku yan i kinalamten-måmi para in gi’ot i direchon-måmi komo taotao.    Your Excellency Chairwoman Keisha McGuire, distinguished delegates, representatives and experts from fellow Non-Self-Governing Territories, I am honored to be here again speaking before you on the topic of Guam and its continuing quest for decolonization. I also want to thank the government and people of Saint Lucia for hosting us on their beautiful island.    In my statements today, I want to provide updates on important w...

Celebrate Freedom, Liberation and Decolonization, Join Independent Guåhan for its 5 th  Na’lå’la’ Songs of Freedom Concert on July 4th   For Immediate Release, June 27, 2021 –  Since 2017, each July Independent Guåhan has hosted a free concert,  “Na’lå’la’: Songs of Freedom.” This event is a chance for the community to connect to conscious and empowering messages for social change and decolonization through music, poetry, art and dance.  Independent Guåhan invites the community to tune in Sunday, July 4th from 7 to 9 pm on KUAM TV 8 for “Na’lå’la’: Songs of Freedom Vol. 5.” The concert will also be livestreamed on KUAM News’ Facebook page.   This year’s concert is a collaboration with Tåhdong Marianas, an up and coming collective or artists, musicians, scholars and activists that is dedicated to the promotion of music and storytelling from the Mariana Islands. Artists to be featured this year are: Microchild, Ma’lak Mo’na, Jonah Hånom, Rachel Esteves, Sinah...

Around there world there are others desiring political status change, not just Guam.  Some are worried about changes independence might bring, just like we are, but that shouldn't keep us colonized.  Turks and Caicos is another Non-Self-Governing Territory, just like Guam. It is in the Caribbean and has a population of around 46,000. The United Kingdom is its administering power.  Here is a recent article from their newspaper talking about this from their perspective.  The author quotes the Ghanaian revolutionary Kwame Nkrumah, “It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else.” ******************     Political Independence – It Is Time To Talk About It By Drexwell Seymour April 19, 2021 The Sun   There are seventeen (17) countries in the world that have yet to become decolonized. One of those places is the Turks and Caicos Islands where we have been politically governed by the United Kingdom (UK) for hund...

10 years ago the cultural arts group Inetnon Gefpågo premiered "Fanhasso, Fanhita, Fanachu" a musical journey through Guam History and Chamorro issues written by Michael Lujan Bevacqua and Victoria Leon Guerrero, with choreography by Vince Reyes. The musical was directed by Clifford Guzman. The cast was made up of island youth in the group Inetnon Gefpågo.  Next Tuesday, December 8th, Inetnon Gefpågo and Independent Guåhan are holding a webinar to reflect back on the 10 years anniversary of this performance, which eventually was transformed into the play Pågat in 2014.  The webinar will be live on the Facebook pages of Independent Guåhan and Inetnon Gefpågo from 10 am - noon on December 8th. To say that I'm excited about this webinar would be an understatement. I am elated to the point where words are starting to fall short of expression.  The musical Fanhasso... was something I worked on with Victoria less than a year after starting teaching at UOG full-time and finish...

In light of COVID-19, Independent Guåhan moves their annual Na’lå’la’ concert on air and online this Saturday on KUAM For Immediate Release, July 8, 2020 –  Since 2017, each July Independent Guåhan has hosted a free concert,  “Na’lå’la’: Songs of Freedom.” This event is a chance for the community to connect to conscious and empowering messages for social change and decolonization through music, poetry, art and dance. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to social distance, this year’s concert is going online and on-air.  Independent Guåhan invites the community to tune in Saturday, July 11 th  from 7 to 10 pm on KUAM TV 8 for “Na’lå’la’: Songs of Freedom Vol. 4.” The concert will also be livestreamed on KUAM News’ Facebook page. The concert is held each year close to the Fourth of July or Independence Day in hopes of opening up the holiday up to a new more locally focused interpretation. Independent Guåhan encouraged the island as a whole and beyond t...