My Recount of Break Free Flotilla 8th May 2016
by Moemoana Schwenke
Break Free is a tender self-sacrificing movement in which people all around Australia travel to Newcastle, in search of blocking Australia’s largest coal port. A movement in which everyday people fight back against the excessive burning of fossil fuels and the government’s cover up of the issue and lack of climate action. I believe this year’s Break Free movement was made in homage of the lands who have been, and are yet to be devoured by a rising sea, the islands who have been left in ruins from extreme weather patterns and the islands who are left with the repercussions of greedy corporate interests. Thousands of people from all walks of life were surrounded on Newcastle beach on Sunday, all with a common purpose — to prove to the government that through and through, we are fighting!
Climate change, driven by burning fossil fuels, threatens our ocean, our wildlife, our people, and our age-old cultures and traditions. Countless low-lying islands around the world protrude only a metre or two above sea level and are vulnerable to even very small rises in sea level. And yet small island developing states have contributed less than 1% to the global stock of greenhouse gasses now in the atmosphere. To know that islands in a place that i come from, the Pacific, are awaiting to be swallowed up by the leftovers of our world’s broken morals, in seas consisting of melted ice caps from warmer temperatures that we created, can draw the world to feel vulnerable. Vulnerable because the environment is so much more stronger than us, and now so much more deadly because of the state we have brought it too. Yet, in the tunnel of vulnerability, there is always the light that leads you on — hope through humanity. Hope essentially drives the Break Free movement. The movement selflessly bestows hope upon people, and only through hope we were able to send our message worldwide. The message in that “we are not drowning, we are fighting”, leaps out in delight because the day inspired me, a 15 year girl, to keep fighting, keep hope and strive to bring awareness to this somewhat unmendable, ongoing war of climate change.
I am part of a Pacific Island Cultural arts/dance school, Matavai Cultural Arts, who were given the opportunity by Sydney’s awesome 350.org Pacific campaigner Joseph Zane Sikulu to showcase our islands on such a honourable day. Arriving later than anticipated, dressed in our traditional attire, i along with the Pacific youth of Matavai equipped with our flags of the Pacific, and the blowing of conch shell, marched through the thousands of people surrounding the beach. In that moment, walking down the path parted especially for us, with my West Papua and Aboriginal flag, i felt so much pride, a feeling i will cherish in my heart forever. Pride to be part of a momentous day, bringing together people who will sacrifice anything for the preservation of our environment. The seas of supporters clapping and cheering, crying tears of islands underwater, stamped firmly within me that there is so much more good in the world than i predicted. As media can portray the issue in a way that illuminates it as a hopeless matter, 2016 Break free movement, was a time i saw something so rare, a day in which spread attitudes about and for the Earth every human should follow. That of love, care and sacrifice.
Arriving on the shorelines, with hundreds of canoes lined up out in the ocean, one canoe was being carried in by a man from Tokelau, an Island in which is extremely in peril of sea level rising. A place where rising sea level makes it increasingly hard to protect the freshwater sources, while warmer oceans increase evaporative rates. By 2025, rising sea levels could lead to displacement of at least 10% of Tokelau’s population, 29% of the road network, 30% percent of the hotel infrastructure in which drives the islands tourism, and 70% of the ports, at a cost of 1 billion dollars” — according to Comores Vice President Fouad Mahadji at the South African port city. As the canoe was being taken in I marvelled at my four year old brother, who had marched along happily cheering, waving the Tokelau flag with pride. It highlighted that no matter where we come from, whether it be on opposite corners of the Earth, we were gathered that day as one peoples. We marched that day with a purpose, and our purpose grew stronger the louder people cheered. I felt grateful that complete strangers would welcome us, they would sacrifice and fight for my island home. With some islands like Samoa able to survive longer due to high peaked hills, but with islands like Tuvalu and Tokelau whose highest point is no higher than 1.5 metres!
We set the canoe down in the water, and my father jumped into one of them to paddle it out with the kayaks. There were people taking photos and clearing the beach for us, dressed in our fine mats and sarongs. The atmosphere was electrifying. If only I was able to hold on to it for eternity. Because if I ever lost hope that the world lacked people that were genuine, giving, selfless and kind, I would only have to go to the Break Free Flotilla to see that there is hope of kind people in the world. I wanted to stay amongst the kayaks, and people for as long as possible. We danced for the crowd and again we witnessed tears of joy, and people came up to me and said that watching the children dance restored their hope in the fight for humanity and pressuring the government to do something. My family are officially activists, and we stand for the Pacific!
When I dance the rhythm of wooden log drums echo’s my heartbeat and the heartbeat of my Pacific Island people, alive, full of love, sacred and free. I am able to embrace my culture, to chant the songs of my ancestors and to express my cultural heritage and identity. I am inspired by the environment and all sources of the earth we as humans rely on, therefore i am very spirited about issues like sea level rising in the pacific as a result of climate change.
I dance and perform in honour of my ancestors who navigated and fought for a peaceful land. The very exact land that we are destroying today. The very exact land we take for granted by polluting and exploiting. I believe that the Samoan Siva is graceful, mimicking the ocean that is steady, flowing and wise. And through performing arts, i am able to share my message about climate change and hopefully make a difference.
Our dances are our history and one of the dances talks about our hope in that our culture survives forever, a recording i made when i was six years old goes to on to say:
“The red tooth billed pigeon, Manumea, is Samoa’s national bird, this bird is seen in secretive parts of Samoa’s forest and she is unique to Samoa. One day our Manumea bird may become extinct, that is why i will perform for you a Samoan dance, with actions just like the Manumea bird. I am proud to be a samoan because of its culture, people and wildlife, this dance is an expression of our concern for the future of our wildlife, and may our culture and people live on forever.”
Today, i mean every word even more than i ever thought possible. I spoke this when i was young, and to this day i support it. Today, i will dance with more ‘mana’, ‘agaga’, warrior spirit. My dance is my fight for my future, the face of our ancestors i see in my little brother, in my eight year old sister, in my father. I am only young, but i understand and my heart is determined to continue the fight. I want the world to be aware of my Pacific Island’s cries and pleas for the people of the world to stop polluting the Earth. For my ancestors who navigated, for my forefathers who fought and my elders who are struggling to maintain it, we need to care for our Earth.
As a community in Australia, we can, we will and we are the hands reaching out, fists raising up, canoes blocking coal ships, fighting and chanting for change now. Because if we do not act, we are letting the seas to rise high enough to devour homes and crunch at our shorelines, so much so, that some will not even have an island to call home, but drift with only a passport for remembrance.
We are not drowning, we are fighting and as a pacific islander I have the moral obligation to be the voice for the voiceless and the eyes for those who are blindfolded. OUR Pacific Islands are on the frontline and affected the most by climate change, so it is OUR job to fight and speak up for the dire issue. We must each become our own Climate Warrior to tackle the issue. Break Free movement is a day I will treasure for the rest of my life.
