Posts filed under 'Samoa'
Three Earthquakes Spell Climate Change and perhaps the Wrath of God
by Agnes Chu, KF9, Samoa
Since the infamous earthquake that caused the tsunami in Samoa on Sept. 29, there have been three more earthquakes felt here. They are minor but no less nerve-wracking. As the ground jolts for a few seconds, people, including senior management, rush out of the office and some stay in the hills for the night. When a harmless earthquake struck near Vanuatu, an island 1,400 miles away, Apia was evacuated for a couple of hours; tsunami drills are certain to be a fixture in Samoa’s future. Ghost stories also abound around the island (Samoans are very superstitious). I accompanied a centre manager on field visits to areas of the coast wrecked by the tsunami, because she had heard those stories of taxi drivers picking up the ghosts of tsunami victims, was afraid and needed company. She also insisted that I keep an eye on the ocean as she barreled down the road. (Her fear, though, was well-justified by an earthquake which occurred during our trip. Fortunately, we were at a loan centre away from the ocean and the earth shook for only a couple of seconds.) Archbishop Alapati Mataeliga has declared that there is “great fear in the country.” Samoa is on edge.
Traditionally, Samoans view the ocean as peaceful and giving. They struggle to reconcile the events of Sept. 29. Many explanations are offered and discussed in circles. For some, the tsunami and the recent geological unrest in the Pacific are an affirmation of climate change and a wake-up call for awareness and action from the rest of the world. A low-lying island, Samoa is at high risk when seawaters rise and storms come. Many houses lie on the edge of the coast, which is ringed by a little seawall made of stacked rocks only three feet high in most spots. It resembles decoration more than a barrier. (Most of the seawall is privately owned and built, another reason of why it is so tiny.)
A typical house and seawall along the coast of Samoa
Reconstruction of the seawall near the wharf which was damaged. Note the demolished house in the background.
13 comments 28 October 2009
Fa’a Samoa
By Agnes Chu, KF9, Samoa
My placement in Samoa was supposed to be a quiet one. A tiny country smaller than Rhode Island, Samoa is part of the group of Polynesian islands that are usually associated with the words “dream vacation” or “exotic getaway.” Samoa is located in the “calm zone” of the Pacific and the demeanor of its inhabitants follows suit; there is actually a term—fa’a Samoa—for the laid-back attitude Samoans have towards life. Although the UN has categorized Samoa as a “least developing country,” it is well-known that Samoans are always smiling. I thought I was placed on a beach—none of this catching-malaria and getting-chased-by-men-with-machetes business that other Kiva Fellows had to worry about.
The earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Samoa the day of my flight from San Francisco to Apia, Samoa. Although I wasn’t aware of it at the time, the tsunami had spared Apia, the capital of Samoa and headquarters of South Pacific Business Development microfinance organization, and it was the eastern coastal region and American Samoa that suffered the brunt of the damage. The airline, showing us grimy pictures of the damage, advised all tourists to turn back, but nobody did. I arrived at 5:30 a.m. (more…)
13 comments 2 October 2009
The Sundance Island: A Photo Essay of Samoa
By Athan Makansi - KF8 – SPBD, Samoa
A picture captures a thousand words. Here are a few thousand words from my past 9 weeks with Kiva Partner South Pacific Business Development in Samoa:
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Beach in Savaii, Samoa
Although poor, Samoa has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Bright, white sand, dotted with fallen coconuts and perfected by the sound of rolling waves make Samoa a good place for vacationers as well as for microfinance.
6 comments 11 August 2009
Grandma’s Question
By: Athan Makansi – KF8 – SPBD, Samoa
A few days ago my grandmother sent me an email:
Athie,
Thank you for your updates. I have really enjoyed reading them. I was wondering, from your experience in Samoa, do you think poverty is a state of mind? Also do you think the women borrowers gain a sense of worth from access to financial services?
Love,
Grandma Nellie
I love you too Grandma, and you got me thinking. So here’s my answer.
Many Samoans do not think of themselves as poor. No one is going hungry (in fact the large girth of Samoans is quite famous) nor is anyone lacking a roof above their head, nor clean(ish) water to drink and bath. As my friend Tui put it, “You can live here without money.” Food is in abundance. For example, in the backyard of my flat there is a coconut tree, a papaya tree, breadfruit tree, wild green beans, and wild cabbage. Similar edibles are plentiful in most backyards throughout Samoa – and I live within the city limits! Families outside the city can grow large plantations of crops. Also, Samoa has an incredibly reliable and generous community system. Everyone looks out for everyone else. If you don’t have a home, a relative or neighbor will take you in. If you have no food, a friend will gladly feed you.
But the UNDP ranks Samoa as one of the 50 poorest countries of the world. As I walk around Samoa I see many manifestations of poverty. Samoans don’t have all the TVs, BMWs, laptops, or other luxuries, that characterize the western world. Many people dressed in faded second hand clothes from developed countries. New clothes are quite expensive for Samoans. Homes are in poor shape –some are infested with termites, some have makeshift walls of tarps and plywood. Samoa has poor health. The Samoan diet consists of very poor quality food. Samoa imports the leftover junk food from New Zealand and Australia. Almost all products are processed and canned. Canned meat, especially corned beef is considered a delicacy. Also, the preferred way of cooking is frying. For such a small population, Samoa must go through a record amount of cooking oil. Samoans suffer from diabetes, obesity and heart problems. Moreover, their quality of healthcare is quite poor. Often, Samoans wait for hours and hours in line for their appointment. Doctors’ pay, comparative to Western societies, is very little. Samoa definitely lacks the benefits of a developed country.
10 comments 3 August 2009
Taking Care of Business
By: Athan Makansi – KF8 – SPBD, Samoa
Kiva is about stories. From borrower profiles and journal updates, we learn about individual borrowers all over the world and their struggle to work themselves out of poverty. But, some of the people most integral to the daily operations of Kiva are underrepresented on Kiva.org. Rarely do we hear stories about the credit officers all over the world who actually disburse the Kiva loans. Here are some profiles of the credit officers at South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) in Samoa.
At SPBD, the credit officers are called Center Managers (CMs). The center manager’s job is to collect the weekly repayments from each SPBD borrower. Monday through Thursday a center manager travels around the island to different borrower centers to collect repayments. Each center consists of between 5 and 35 borrowers, usually all ladies from the same village. On most Fridays, the Center Manager stays in the office to disburse new loans, prepare paper work for the next week, and count a lot of money. Last week I accompanied one center manager, Ela, on her daily rounds. Here is a video of our adventure.
At SPBD, there are twelve center managers broken into three teams of four. Three center managers – Ela, Mayvian and Jack – took the time to let me interview them.
13 comments 14 July 2009
Where are the S’mores?
Athan Makansi – KF8 – Apia, Samoa
Jump on the Samoan time machine and watch as a few neighbors help prepare a delicious meal of taro, breadfruit, coconut cream, potatoes, chicken and tuna in a giant fire pit as Samoans have for many, many years. But no, Samoans don’t make s’mores.
Talofa (Hello), from Samoa. I arrived last Friday in the glorious sunshine of Samoa, eager to start my fellowship with SPBD, Kiva’s partner in Apia, the capital (and only) city. Very quickly I became aware of a remarkable generosity between Samoans. My landlord offered to cook for me, a taxi driver gave me a free ride, and all types of Samoans generously flashed a toothy smile my way. In every instance of generosity I can’t help but let a smile sneak out in return.
5 comments 19 June 2009
Gali Sends Greetings from Samoa
For those of you who know me as Eviatar (or do not know me at all), I am now Galumalemana, or Gali for short. This is my Samoan name, bestowed upon me by some of the loan officers during my “initiation” on my first Friday night here. The event included some rugby rituals, a healthy amount of Vailima (the delicious local beer), karaoke, many laughs, and a fuzzy feeling of being welcomed into my new family.
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Samoa is beautiful, but poor. The fishermen in the background are standing in the ocean and fishing with a net.
I arrived in Samoa two weeks ago, and have had an interesting time since. I will try to not be too redundant with previous entries written by fellows who served in Samoa, so I won’t talk about the myriad churches, the beauty of the country, the heat and humidity, the crazy drivers, the fascinating state of poverty, or the kindness of the people. (If you haven’t already, I suggest that you read their very interesting entries by searching for “Samoa” at the top of this page.) Except, the poverty and the extent of the friendliness of the people here is so fascinating that I must write about it, even if it is in repetition. Hopefully you will find something unique in my impressions and interpretation.
Poverty here is intriguing because it presents itself in such an unexpected way. I haven’t been here long enough to make any judgments and pretend to be an expert (that’s next week), so here are some initial observations regarding poverty in Samoa. Although Samoa ranks 36th on the UN’s Least Developed Countries list, that is far from obvious. People here are extremely nice, and it’s hard to imagine any hardships going on in such a paradise of smiles and helpful strangers. Also, there is a very strong extended family and community support net, which keeps the poverty hidden underneath the surface. Samoans would never let anyone sleep on the street or go hungry, even a stranger. They are very generous- and not of the sort that expect something in return, but of the sort that gives because they can. However, this social support places a burden on everyone’s resources. Without going into welfare economics, I should mention that the impact of this system on incentives for people to work hard has crossed my mind a few times.
The second stand out topic is the extent of the happiness and friendliness of people here. Although there is no way for me to tell for sure how happy people truly are in just two weeks, I take their constant smiling, laughing, and kindness as positive indicators. It’s so pronounced that you have to wonder what makes a whole nation so nice. Is it the History? Geography? Chance? Genetics? Climate? Let me illustrate this kindness with an experience that despite its subtlety, startled me quite a bit. A few days after arrival, I went to the immigration office to finalize my visa. There were two booths with clerks in each. One clerk was busy assisting someone, and the other was doing some paperwork. People were sitting in the waiting area, waiting, I assumed, for one of the clerks to become available and invite the next-in-line. I sat down, and within a few minutes, someone entered the office, and headed straight for the clerk doing the paperwork. After exchanging their greetings, the newcomer caught my gaze, understood the situation, and immediately invited me to talk to the clerk before him. Apparently the people in the room were waiting for something else, and I was supposed to have interrupted the clerk on arrival. Most locals in every other place I have visited would have taken advantage of me, never mind been sensitive enough to notice and consider my position. Importantly, I feel like this was not a fluke. Although most of my experiences with the kindness of people here are subtle and individually unimpressive, I am confident that anyone here would go out of their way to help me, even if doing so would send them in the complete opposite direction.
I came to Samoa not to be the recipient of kindness, but to help SPBD with Kiva-related processes. Over the last two weeks, I have been learning how the microfinance institution operates, going over their procedures and the new Kiva interface with the office staff, planning ways to improve their processes, and arranging excursions into the field to write journals. Still, I have not overlooked the fact that I have had the luck to be placed on this beautiful island. Accordingly, I have been exploring quite a bit, and yes, it is extremely beautiful. Upolu is one of the two main islands comprising Samoa, and where I have been staying. It is covered by thick greenery, exotically painted flowers, and white beaches riddled with palm trees. To my peers in Sudan and Azerbaijan, please take comfort in knowing that most of the beaches are occupied by coral. As my scraped hands and knees can attest, this makes for unpleasant swimming.
I look forward to discovering more about Samoa, especially the effects of microfinance and Kiva on the people here. This should happen when I meet borrowers in the field starting in the next few days. Until then, be sure to borrow a page from the Samoan way of life, take it easy, and know that no hardship is worth being unhappy for. I’m constantly reminded of the first sentence I read about Samoa: “If relaxing was an Olympic sport, Samoa would win gold.”
5 comments 29 October 2008
Altar of Globalization
There are parallel and sometimes conflicting legal systems in Samoa: the state system and the local matai (chief) system. The state system being a relatively recent incarnation and the matai system being a traditional hierarchical structure used for many centuries. Both have laws (formal and informal), courts, judges and punishments.
Outside the capital city of Apia, the matai system reigns supreme. For many centuries it has maintained order in the rural villages. Samoans attribute their long history without internal conflict and widespread crime to the matai system and the common culture of the people. They note this difference in other Pacific nations which have experienced civil unrest between ethnic groups. I would say that a lack of civil unrest is more a product of homogeneity. The low crime rate, however, is directly related to the matai system.
There is palpable respect for and obedience to the village elders and matais. This is a result of Fa’a Samoa (“Samoan way”), a traditional system of expected behaviors and responsibilities, which is interdependent with the matai system. Hulking adult Samoan males turn into cowering and apologetic children in the face of an angry mother. Of course, crime does exist in the villages. Mostly, petty theft and domestic violence and abuse. Both difficult to thwart with any kind of legal system.
The matai system trumps the state system in the villages. A vanload of police entering a village to enforce a law contradictory to the local matai system are potentially welcomed by a hail of rocks and turned away. There is no recourse for the state. No state law is effective without consent from the village matais.
In the capital city, though, the matai system is somewhat degraded. And resistance to the police remains. Take a recent fight between rival high schools. It escalated to the point where a bystander was hit by a Molotov cocktail and the lone city cinema was destroyed. The students continued to fight with complete indifference to the police. (In response, the state has banned ALL sports matches for ALL schools indefinitely. An overreaction and counterproductive in my opinion). To be clear, this incident is an aberration, but the mentality that drove it persists.
So it’s possible that a nation with the fewest formal laws and strongest informal traditions produces the greatest order. At least insofar as the villages are concerned. But in the most ‘developed’ portion of the country where traditions have diminished, crime is greater and a marginalized police force is expected to stop it.
The Deputy Prime Minister frequently states: Samoa is not prepared to sacrifice its culture at the altar of globalization.
Thus, it is disconcerting that in the capital city, where development has occurred the most while at the cost of some cultural traditions, civil order is the most difficult to maintain.
Add comment 10 May 2008
Top Ten List
It seems to be a requisite duty of a Fellow to provide the “You know you’re in…when” so here’s my take:
10. Rugby is life. American Football is called ‘American Rugby’. Though a Samoan-American is 40 times more likely to make the NFL than a non-Samoan American (thanks, ESPN), the more than 30 ethnic Samoan football players in the NFL, like Troy Polamalu or Junior Seau, do not have celebrity status. That fame is reserved for the Rugby players of Manu Samoa (National Team) and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson born of a Samoan mother.
9. “Mmm” means Yes. If you ask, was that a “yes”? You’ll receive another “Mmm”.
8. At times, no communication can be better than bad communication. I mistakenly relayed that I was married with kids when I first arrived through a conversation in broken Enlgish. Neither is true.
7. If you ride the buses, be prepared to have someone on your lap and make stops every 200ft due to no designated bus stops and Samoans’ aversion to walking.
6. As a foreigner, the only persistent dangers are the wild dogs and sunburns. Both potentially nasty. As a local remarked to me during my first few days here: “you are not made for this sun.”
5. If you’re raised in a village, you really have more like 20 mothers there to chastise you and provide swift corporal punishment in the form of a stiff rear-end smack at any time.
4. Only in Samoa (or perhaps Scotland) are four NFL linemen-sized men singing Madonna’s “Borderline”, in lavalavas (skirts), still an intimidating sight.
3. Walking along the side of the road is like playing a game of chicken with the passing vehicles. I am convinced they want to get as close to you as possible. When a driver provides ample room to walk (and live), I know it’s an expat driving by.
2. Your mobile phone calls are very short. No introductions, no good-byes. The result of per-second charging and exorbitant rates.
1. Your deceased relatives never really leave you. Many are buried on your porch or front lawn.
Add comment 30 April 2008
Two Near Identical Conversations
In the right place at the right time, I had the great fortune to meet the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa as a representative for Kiva. An SPBD entrepreneur was selected through Kiva by Advanta, an American small business banking company, to travel to the United States and speak at a few engagements about her Elei printing business. A big deal here in Samoa evidenced by a send off from the DPM. It even made the national newspaper: http://www.samoaobserver.ws/local/LNPages/0408/1608ln007.htm
One would think the content of a conversation with the women of a village centre and one with the Deputy Prime Minister would be noticeably different. They are not.
When I arrive at a village centre, it begins with the standard introductions. Name, country of origin, organization. My information does not generally pique significant interest. Then it becomes their turn for a question: are you single? Do you have a Samoan girlfriend? At which point, I am told through some chuckles that all the women are single (despite the droves of children all around us).
No different in the DPM office. Except the children.
Immediately, they begin to call me “Benicio”, a lead actor in a widely-watched Filipino soap opera. Despite having no resemblance to him, each village, without fail, calls me by his name. Slightly troubling considering he is the reviled antagonist. Saying that this soap opera is all the rage is a great understatement. The country comes to a halt during the 3-hour, 3 times a week showing. With pirated copies circulating, there is no longer the dreaded break in between episodes.
The DPM, similarly, requested that SPBD’s General Manager, who is Filipino, purchase new Filipino DVDs during his next trip home. Though he unconvincingly claimed not to be a fan.
The DPM did raise some weightier subjects: the US Presidential Election and his own political controversy.
He was very well-versed on the Democratic Primary, and he even knew about each candidate’s most recent gaffe. I can not say who he endorses (he refused), but no one here seems to know that there is a Republican nominee.
As to the great Samoan political controversy rocking this tiny nation: the Prime Minister is imposing a switch from left-hand drive to right-hand drive vehicles. Coupled with a switch of the driving side on the roads. It has been met with near unanimous opposition: 2 protest marches and “Vote NO on RHD” t-shirts, signs and bumper stickers everywhere. The motivations for the change are not exactly clear. Here’s a shot in the dark: it has something to do with money. I am just glad that I’ll be long gone when that chaotic day comes in 2009.
Courtship, Filipino soap operas and RHD. There’s no escape from it here.
1 comment 20 April 2008
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