Magalilu village is situated about a 30-minute drive from the country’s capitol of Port Vila on the western edge of Havannah Harbor. It is the sister village to the island of Lelepa (where I did my training) and just about a mile away from Lelepa across the water. The village is rather new as it was settled in 1983 after some of the families on Lelepa moved off the island to the “mainland or big island” and settled at what is now Magalilu. The village sits right on the oceans shore where there is a plethora of reefs and marine life.
The current village project is a cultural tour that will fit hand in hand with the declaration of a world heritage site in the area. World heritage sites are declared and governed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The following excerpt may be helpful in gaining a small understanding of what World Heritage sites are, how areas become designated as such and who makes these decisions:
“To date, UNESCO's 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage protects 830 properties of "outstanding universal value," including 644 cultural, 162 natural and 24 mixed properties in 139 States Parties. The Convention encourages international cooperation to safeguard the common heritage of humanity. With 184 States Parties, it is one of the most widely ratified international legal instruments. When they sign the Convention, States Parties commit to preserve sites on the World Heritage List, as well as sites of national and regional importance, notably by providing an appropriate legal and regulatory framework. The World Heritage Committee is comprised of representatives of 21 countries, elected by the States Parties for up to six years. Each year, the Committee adds new sites to the List.
The sites are proposed by the States Parties. Applications are then reviewed by two advisory bodies: cultural sites by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and natural sites by the World Conservation Union (UICN). The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ICCROM) provides expert advice on conservation and training in restoration techniques. The World Heritage Committee is responsible for the implementation of the 1972 Convention. It examines reports on the state of conservation of the inscribed sites and asks States Parties to take measures when necessary. The Committee supervises the disbursement of over $4 million per annum from the World Heritage Fund, aimed at emergency action, training of experts and encouraging technical cooperation. UNESCO's World Heritage Centre is the Secretariat of the World Heritage Committee.”
The area that is up for determination this February in Vanuatu and that I will be working with encompasses the story of legendary local chief Roi Mata who is said to have lived about 400 years ago. During a time of tribal warfare throughout much of the south of Vanuatu he orchestrated a “Peace Feast” at which de declared a system of family Klan lines and united the islands in peace. While his home village was just a half-mile north of Magalilu he died on the island on Lelepa and was buried on the small Island of Eretoka or Hat island just off the front of Magalilu. At his death many of his smaller chiefs and devout followers were buried with chief Roi Mata as a sign of just how much power and rank he had. In the 1970’s a French anthropologist explored the grave and over 45 bodies were found along with much many valued items of the day (shells, pig tusks, etc).
The proposed site would incorporate three areas that form a triangle and include the ocean that is between these three places. The first area is the old village ground of chief Roi Mata (Mangas village), which have been uninhabited since his death. This area consists of boundary wall remnants, a large banyan tree that is said to have been where Chief Roi Mata observed custom dances from and some 500-year-old Tamanu trees along the shoreline. The second area is Fels cave on Lelepa Island that is said to have been where the chief’s body was brought and where he drew his last breath. The cave is a limestone cave that was formed when the island was underwater millions of years ago and contains many illustrations and carvings. These pieces of history have been carbon dated and range from 3000 years at the oldest to 500 years for the most recent. The last area in the project is Eretoka or “Hat Island”. The island to this day remains a Taboo place for the locals and hence is home to some of the most amazing reefs and marine life I have ever seen. This is the island that the chief and his loyal subjects were buried on and the burial ground remains with some taboo stones and relics of the day in the area.
The process to get the area declared a world heritage site is being headed by an Australian couple and they responsible for the necessary publications and doing the associated research and developing the areas management plans. There is also an Australian business volunteer associated with the project handling the business side of things. My role will be to help facilitate at the village level with the community’s responsibilities. The community holds sole rights to give tours of the area and developing a cultural tour for tourists that would bring benefits to the community is intrinsic to the projects success and sustainability. There are many smaller details that have been ignored until now and two of these that I will be most involved with are the gardening that provides the food for the tours and the development of tour infrastructure. The village is in need of gardens that will provide food for the tourists on this tour. One of my responsibilities will be to help introduce intensive vegetable and root crop gardening to the village with the creation through a garden set up to provide food for the tours. Also after a walk through of the area in September by an eco-contractor the authenticity of the site will be evaluated and the community will be given guidelines for what they can and cannot not alter, rebuild and what kind of trail, bridges, walkways, steps, etc can be incorporated into the area. Once this is known I can help facilitate the construction of such infrastructure.
I am excited to be moving villages. The village of Magalilu is currently playing in a local soccer league on Saturdays in the capitol and practicing daily for their weekly matches. As I said the village is located on some of the most incredible reefs and the seafood, snorkeling and fishing that goes along with that is very appealing. Also joining an ongoing project has the benefits that I am at least guaranteed some project to help the village with. Being closer to the capitol will mean luxuries like a water system already intact in the village with running water at my house, a telephone in the village and the avaliability of bread daily.
My last weeks were spent back in Butmas wrapping up some loose ends, spending time with those I have spent the last year with and moving my stuff out of my house. After the work I had put into the house the actual owner is quite excited to be moving into it for the first time. I spent a few last days at the nursery doing some potting and am passing the duties now onto the community.
Melanie and I also spent a few nights with the Pike family who are an Australian family living in a village about 15 miles past me in the bush. I was helping Adam (the father) install some facia and gutters for his rain collection and we spent an afternoon flying their son Hayden's remote control airplane (see photos).
I had a last meal with the village on Sunday (June 30) and hope to visit them next month when my Dad comes to visit. Since moving out Melanie and I (who arrived a week or so ago after finishing her trip through Asia) are in Luganville town and awaiting a boat that departs Friday to take us and cargo (all of my stuff) to Port Vila. Tomorrow I turn 24 and we are going to have a peace corps BBQ and celebration of our independence here at the beach. Once I get to Vila I’ll have another week in town before I can get out to the village, as my predecessor will be wrapping up his time there.
That’s what it is here in Vanuatu
Much Peace and Love to everyone
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