NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

My first forays into the world of public discourse and engagement came on the pages of the Pacific Daily News through letters to the editor. For years I conducted research in the Micronesian Area Research Center library and through interviews with politicians, activists and manåmko', but the thoughts and ideas that were spawning in my head didn't have many outlets save for discussions in classes or with trusted elders or friends. In 2004 I gave my first public presentation on the issue of decolonization or critical Chamorro Studies, when I shared a section of my research at a forum titled "World War II is it Over?" organized by the Guam Humanities Council at the Agana Shopping Center. I spoke alongside Dr. Patricia Taimanglo, the late historian Tony Palomo and Guam military historian Jennings Bunn. After that, I spent several years in graduate school presenting at conference around the US, often times to empty rooms, as Guam papers tended to be very low on the prior...

If you are interested in learning more about decolonization and independence for Guam, please come and join us for Independent Guahan's October General Assembly meeting, this Thursday (10/27) at 6 pm at the Main Pavilion of the Chamorro Village in Hagatna. For our educational presentation, we will be discussing what is known as a transition or implementation period. This is a temporary phase whereby a colony that has chosen to become independent, negotiates a gradual reduction in dependency on programs provided by the colonizer, and receives funding in order to develop new revenues and new programs to fill any needed gaps. For each monthly General Assembly meeting, Independent Guahan chooses a "maga'taotao" or a pioneer/hero which we honor for their role in helping push the island towards decolonization. This Thursday, we will be honoring the late Senator Ben Pangelinan, for his tireless efforts as a Guam lawmaker to protect the rights, lands and heritage o...

The book Micronesian Blues is supposed to be made into a show for Cinemax. Given the articles below, it has nothing to do with Governor of Guam Eddie Calvo's recent "deportation" of criminals from the FSM. I wonder what a show titled Chamorro Blues would focus on or look like? Would it focus on the drama in the Catholic church? I halacha na yinaoyao gi halom i gima'yu'os Katoliko? Or perhaps it would focus on the drama between Chamorro dance groups? Hekkua' ti hu tungo' I wonder, even more so, what a show like Guamanian Blues would be? Båsta, mungga yu' tumungo'. ********************** Cop's memoir 'Micronesian Blues' to be adapted into Cinemax show by Amanda Pampuro Guam Daily Post 10/23/16 “It was slam down and flaps up, braking all the way. We landed so hard the oxygen masks fell down and several of the overhead storage compartments popped open. Babies squalled, while most of the adults just sat there in stunned sil...

The issue of Governor Calvo "deporting" people (primarily) from the FSM has been one of those issues that I wish I was following more closely, but haven't been able to. I've collected some articles here offering basic timelines and info over the past few months. I look forward at some point in the future writing more about this, as it goes right to the heart of Guam's status as a continuing colony, whereas the other islands in Micronesia have been able to move towards a greater sense of self-government. This exasperates and complexifies the long-standing problem of whether or not Chamorros and others on Guam identify as being Micronesian, being part of Micronesia or being anything other than Pacific Islander Americans. Gaige iya Guahan giya Micronesia. Lao atan i sinangån-ta yan i kustumbre-ta? Kao ta na'magågahet este na ideha? Lao achokka' siña ta sångan na gaige hit gi halom este na hinekkan isla, ti mamparehu hit gi pulitikat na bånda. Manggaipodet s...

If you are interested in purchasing the new Chamorro/English children's book Sumahi and the Karabao or the new Chamorro/English comic book Makåhna, head over to the website: The Guam Bus This is a new venture that my brothers and I recently started, where we aim to finally find an outlet for all the creativity that we were blessed to be born with. These two items, the book and the comic are just the start. We are already working on other texts. I'm actually writing the next book right now between blog posts. Stayed tuned to the website above and this space in general for more updates. In the meantime, we have been fortune enough to have received some local media coverage about our books. See the articles from The Pacific Daily News and The Guam Daily Post below. Si Yu'us Ma'ase to Lacee Martinez and Amber Word for their articles! *************************** Bevacqua brothers join forces to create Chamorro-language books as The Guam Bus by Lacee A.C. Martine...

Este na klasen tinige' siha muna'magof yu'. Guaha na biahi ti komprendeyon nu Guahu si Donald Trump. Gof annok nu Guahu na racist pat misogynistic gui' ya gof guinaiya gui' ni' i manggaichinatli'e' nu otro rås pat klasen taotao. Lao i meggaiña gi media, ti manmalago' ma sångan enao. Ti manmalago' ma admite enao.  Pues ya-hu este na klasen tinige', sa' i tumutuge' (ko'lo'lo'ña i famalao'an) ma såsangan i minagahet put si Donald Trump.  ************************* "Trump is Being Outplayed by Women - And He's Losing His Mind Over It" by Joan Walsh The Nation September 30, 2016  Y ou’ve heard of the 3 am phone call, the one every presidential nominee must be prepared to answer ably. Now we have the 3 am tweet storm, where the would-be leader of the free world melts down at the temerity of mere women to challenge his political dominance. Four days after his pathetic debate performance, Donald...