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Pisa a Samoa chief

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paleric

Tuesday, April 14, 2020
SAMOAN CHIEF ESCAPES FROM SAIPAN TO GUAM

I’IGA PISA OF SAMOA

I’iga Pisa was a Samoan noble in status and in personality. People described him as pleasing and excellent in his speech and demeanor, besides being tall and regal.

But he lived during German colonial times and was all for Samoan independence. In 1908, tension between Samoan chiefs and the German colonial heads heated up as the chiefs saw their power slipping away. Samoan resisters organized and called themselves Mau a Pule, mau being a Samoan word meaning "resolve" or "unwavering." In 1909, the Germans decided to exile leading members of Mau a Pule far across to the other side of the Pacific, to another island the Germans controlled, Saipan. I’iga Pisa was one of those deported there.

Just five years later, the Germans who had imprisoned him were themselves imprisoned when the Japanese took over Saipan in 1914. Japan had no quarrel with Samoans, but finding them transportation to Samoa would be more of a problem. Pisa also found out that his part of Samoa was passed from German control to New Zealand control. The German language he had started to learn in Saipan was now useless to him. He had to learn English if he were to return to Samoa and be of any use in the struggle for Samoan independence.

ALL BY HIMSELF IN A DUGOUT CANOE

Where could he learn English? Guam! He knew that Guam was in American hands. How would he get there? Most of the time he was in Saipan, Pisa had used a small dugout canoe for fishing. He made a paddle and on one night in 1915, he set off for Guam all by himself in his small canoe. He passed Tinian and then was out on the high seas. When he lost sight of all land, he started to become anxious. He had no compass but he knew about the southern cross and he knew, from the rising and setting of the sun, where south was; south where Guam lay!

Fatigue started to get the best of him and, as he nodded himself to sleep, the paddle fell from his hand into the sea. But, he looked up and saw Luta (Rota). He made it on land and crashed asleep in a cave. Some Chamorros found him and gave him food and water but, most of all, kept his secret. Even when a ship from Saipan came looking for him, the Chamorros told them that Pisa had rowed away for Saipan already. The Chamorros on Luta urged him not to row his canoe to Guam; it was too dangerous they said. But Pisa said he had paddled even longer, from Saipan to Luta and he survived. The Chamorros on Luta then relented. With a brand new paddle, Pisa set off for Guam, which he could already see at a distance when he was on the high ground in Luta.

I’IGA PISA’S ROUTE FROM SAIPAN TO GUAM
All by himself in a small, dugout canoe

FINALLY ON GUAM

It was around 1PM when Pisa made landfall on a deserted beach in northern Guam. He fell asleep and was later awakened by the sound of a man moving about. It was a Chamorro, who seemed to be slightly drunk from tuba, which Pisa knew from Saipan. The Chamorro was friendly, in the way that liquor often makes a man. The Chamorro offered him food; had no idea what Samoa was and was more satisfied thinking that Pisa was a Carolinian as the Chamorros were used to seeing; and that the Chamorro believed it would be best for Pisa to stay at his ranch and feed his pigs.

Pisa finally reached Hagåtña with his new Chamorro friend and insisted on going straight to the authorities. He marveled at Hagåtña’s clean and tidy layout; at automobiles, which had not come to Samoa or Saipan yet, and electric lights. Pisa had with him a letter of recommendation his German school teacher in Saipan had written. Governor William J. Maxwell had a German-speaking member of the Marine band come and translate it. It made a positive difference. Because, up till then, Pisa could not explain himself in English, though he could converse a bit in Chamorro to the Chamorro guards.

QUESTIONED BY THE GOVERNOR

The following day, Pisa was sent to be questioned by the Governor. Maxwell had José Torres Roberto, a young government clerk, act as an interpreter. Roberto would use Chamorro with Pisa, but it turned out that Pisa didn’t know enough Chamorro to communicate at length. So the German-speaking band member was called again, for Pisa had a better command of German.

Luckily for Pisa, the German captain of the SMS Cormoran, hiding in Apra Harbor from the Japanese, was able to inform Governor Maxwell about Pisa’ identity and why he ended up in Saipan. Maxwell did not think Pisa should go to Guam’s government schools to learn English. The Governor would find some other way. Not long after, Pisa was put to work at the government printing office as a type setter. That way he would learn the English language, putting the letters together to print out bulletins in English. People he associated with, both inside and outside work spoke to him in English and helped him learn that way, too. Maxwell decided Pisa should wait until the war was over and see who truly got control over Samoa before Pisa returned.

GOVERNOR WILLIAM J. MAXWELL

ON TO HONOLULU THEN SAMOA

Well, World War I eventually ended in 1918. But Pisa took the advice of the new American Governor of Guam to wait till a Navy transport could take him to Honolulu for free, since he had worked for the Naval Government for four years. The Governor also gave Pisa a letter of recommendation for the Navy heads in Pearl Harbor and, sure enough, Pisa got a job with the Navy in Hawaii and then later at a private printing company.

But Pisa’s family wanted him back in Samoa, and so did the colonial government there. Pisa had a good knowledge of English and would be useful in Samoa’s governmental offices. His congenial personality won him man friends in Honolulu who were sad to see him go. His departure even made the Hawaii newspapers. He returned to Samoa and worked for the Department of Native Affairs until 1942.

He passed away in 1965.
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China McDonald’s xenophobia

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POSTED INSINOBEAT
Coronavirus: Africans in China subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass testing

by AFP
12TH APRIL 2020
Africans in southern China’s largest city say they have become targets of suspicion and subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass coronavirus testing as Beijing steps up its fight against imported infections, drawing US accusations of xenophobia.

China says it has largely curbed its COVID-19 outbreak but a recent cluster of cases linked to the Nigerian community in Guangzhou sparked the alleged discrimination by locals and virus prevention officials.

This file photo taken on March 2, 2018 shows people walking in the “Little Africa” district in Guangzhou, the capital of southern China’s Guangdong province. – Africans in southern China’s largest city say they have become targets of suspicion and subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass coronavirus testing as the country steps up its fight against imported infections. Photo: Fred Dufour/AFP.
Local authorities in the industrial centre of 15 million said at least eight people diagnosed with the illness had spent time in the city’s Yuexiu district, known as “Little Africa”.

Five were Nigerian nationals who faced widespread anger after reports surfaced that they had broken a mandatory quarantine and been to eight restaurants and other public places instead of staying home.

As a result, nearly 2,000 people they came into contact with had to be tested for COVID-19 or undergo quarantine, state media said.

Africans in Guangzhou are being evicted from their homes and turned away from hotels, forced onto the streets, amid rising xenophobia and concerns of a #COVID19 rebound.

“It’s already a PR mess for China,” @castillorocas told CNN. https://t.co/8Rjj56e21A pic.twitter.com/GYHiZi196v

— David Paulk 波大卫 (@davidpaulk) April 11, 2020
Guangzhou had confirmed 114 imported coronavirus cases as of Thursday — 16 of which were Africans. The rest were returning Chinese nationals.

The tense situation has made Africans targets of suspicion, distrust and racism in China — and brought a stinging rebuke Saturday from Washington.

Several Africans told AFP they had been forcibly evicted from their homes and turned away by hotels.

“I’ve been sleeping under the bridge for four days with no food to eat… I cannot buy food anywhere, no shops or restaurants will serve me,” said Tony Mathias, an exchange student from Uganda who was forced from his apartment on Monday.

Holy shit

"China is currently evicting Africans in the country, reportedly in a way of shifting blame of the Coronavirus onto them" pic.twitter.com/Eio4uFGq53

— Josh (@JoshLeCash) April 11, 2020
“We’re like beggars on the street,” the 24-year-old said.

Mathias added that police had given him no information about testing or quarantine but instead told him “to go to another city”.

Police in Guangzhou declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

A Nigerian businessman said he was evicted from his apartment this week.

“Everywhere the police see us, they will come and pursue us and tell us to go home. But where can we go?” he said.

Growing tensions

Other Africans said the community had been subject to mass COVID-19 testing even though many had not left China recently, and people had been placed under arbitrary quarantine at home or in hotels.

China has banned foreign nationals from entering the country, and many travellers are being sent into 14-day quarantines either in their own accommodation or at centralised facilities.

Black people are discriminated in China now and treated as virus.
video showing a black man with his baby is forced locked inside his home by gov officials and asked if he contacted with other African recently.
but his neighbors are free to move.
pic.twitter.com/eys3vlV9Dy

— 巴丢草麻酱

Badiucao (@badiucao) April 12, 2020
Thiam, an exchange student from Guinea, said police ordered him to stay home on Tuesday even after he tested negative for COVID-19 and told officers he had not left China in almost four years.

He believes the measures are specifically and unfairly targeting Africans.

“All the people I’ve seen tested are Africans. Chinese are walking around freely but if you’re black you can’t go out,” he said.

The US State Department has issued an alert advising African Americans, or those with potential contact with African nationals, to avoid Guangzhou.

Then on Saturday the department issued a sharp criticism of China over how it treats Africans.

“It’s unfortunate but not surprising to see this kind of xenophobia towards Africans by Chinese authorities,” a State Department spokesperson said.

Yet another of the videos circulating out of #Guangzhou –

A Chinese woman demands answers from those sent to enforce quarantine and is told that the orders from above are to specifically target ‘黑人‘, Chinese for Black people. pic.twitter.com/wfsiOVp2g1

— Black Livity China (@BlackLivityCN) April 10, 2020
The US in recent weeks has denounced what it calls Beijing’s lack of transparency at the start of the coronavirus epidemic, which was first detected in late 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. American officials say the delay resulted in thousands of deaths around the world.

Despite a recent truce in the US-Chinese war of words, skirmishes have continued between the two world powers, already locked in a long-term strategic confrontation.

Again, for those who still doubt that Black people and particularly #AfricansinChina are being targeted we feel it is our duty to share this. A sign at a @McDonalds restaurant seems to make this perfectly clear pic.twitter.com/FaveKrdQHi

— Black Livity China (@BlackLivityCN) April 11, 2020
‘Crazy fear’

The infections in Guangzhou have also sparked a torrent of abuse online, with many Chinese internet users posting racist comments and calling for all Africans to be deported.

Last week a controversial cartoon depicting foreigners as different types of trash to be sorted through went viral on social media.

“China watchers” in Australia: “investigating United Front people working with a dictatorship to undermine democracy= racism crisis”

Meanwhile in China: “fun new game, throw the foreigners in the trash!” pic.twitter.com/zDatvWhfAY

— Kevin Carrico (@kevincarrico) April 6, 2020
“There’s just this crazy fear that anybody who’s African might have been in contact with somebody who was sick,” said David, a Canadian living in Guangzhou who did not want to give his full name.

China’s foreign ministry acknowledged this week that there had been some “misunderstandings” with the African community.

“I want to emphasise that the Chinese government treats all foreigners in China equally,” said spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday, urging local officials to “improve their working mechanisms”.

The complaints in Guangzhou contrast with a welcome reception to Chinese efforts in battling the coronavirus across the African continent, where Beijing this week donated medical supplies to 18 countries.

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