The independance day of Vanuatu
some 25 years ago
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
For those of you who know it, I’m from Vanuatu and last week my country celebrated it’s 25th independence anniversary. Nothing to be proud of IMHO but that’s a topic for another day.
Here’s a little map that’ll help you figuring out where in the world I am.
It was a British and French Condominium from 1906 to 1978 and used to be known as the New Hebrides. On the 30th of July 1980, Vanuatu became an independent country.
The story is long and sad. I have a French (colonial) and a Ni-vanuatu heritage.
The colonialism must have been hard to accept for the indigenes. Imagine living peacefully with your own code of morals and ethics, your own beliefs, and your own customs and have it all put upside down by tall, pale, weird foreigners that wore uncomfortable, ridiculous and hot costumes. No wonder more than one ended up as a dish to a tribe…
Over the years they’ve brought new knowledge and new customs that made the local population richer in many ways but also confused. A new religion? A new police? A judge? A prison? Private property? A total new concept of life.
The colons had children. And their children had children. They loved the country as much as any indigene. So when the independence came, they didn’t understand why their properties were taken back.
My Dad for example has never gotten over it. His family owned acres of coconut plantations, cattle, horses, mills, machinery… He was a hardworker, made good money, treated his people right, gave them more than they could ever have today. It broke his heart that his own country took away everything he had, deported him and wanted him dead if he didn’t leave. He still tells me today: it wasn’t supposed to be independence, it should have been more autonomy from the condominium, that’s all.
Vanuatu celebrated their independence. But they’re not independent. Far from it. We rely on financial help from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, China and Japan. We’ve never been more dependant than we are today. The infrastructures are weak, the country doesn’t make enough money, the system is corrupted. We get help, but it’s not near enough to what we actually need.
I don’t know if people realize that. I don’t know if I’m right to feel the way I do. After all no one is dying of hunger. Yet.
I’ve imagined how my country had turned out had it never had been independent from two rival nations that did their best to invest in schools, roads, hospitals, bridges and the likes just to surpass one another.
But I shouldn’t cry over what’s gone, but only hope the best for what’s ahead.
Here’s to 25 more years Dear Vanuatu.
Here’s a little map that’ll help you figuring out where in the world I am.
It was a British and French Condominium from 1906 to 1978 and used to be known as the New Hebrides. On the 30th of July 1980, Vanuatu became an independent country.
The story is long and sad. I have a French (colonial) and a Ni-vanuatu heritage.
The colonialism must have been hard to accept for the indigenes. Imagine living peacefully with your own code of morals and ethics, your own beliefs, and your own customs and have it all put upside down by tall, pale, weird foreigners that wore uncomfortable, ridiculous and hot costumes. No wonder more than one ended up as a dish to a tribe…
Over the years they’ve brought new knowledge and new customs that made the local population richer in many ways but also confused. A new religion? A new police? A judge? A prison? Private property? A total new concept of life.
The colons had children. And their children had children. They loved the country as much as any indigene. So when the independence came, they didn’t understand why their properties were taken back.
My Dad for example has never gotten over it. His family owned acres of coconut plantations, cattle, horses, mills, machinery… He was a hardworker, made good money, treated his people right, gave them more than they could ever have today. It broke his heart that his own country took away everything he had, deported him and wanted him dead if he didn’t leave. He still tells me today: it wasn’t supposed to be independence, it should have been more autonomy from the condominium, that’s all.
Vanuatu celebrated their independence. But they’re not independent. Far from it. We rely on financial help from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, China and Japan. We’ve never been more dependant than we are today. The infrastructures are weak, the country doesn’t make enough money, the system is corrupted. We get help, but it’s not near enough to what we actually need.
I don’t know if people realize that. I don’t know if I’m right to feel the way I do. After all no one is dying of hunger. Yet.
I’ve imagined how my country had turned out had it never had been independent from two rival nations that did their best to invest in schools, roads, hospitals, bridges and the likes just to surpass one another.
But I shouldn’t cry over what’s gone, but only hope the best for what’s ahead.
Here’s to 25 more years Dear Vanuatu.
