International Peace Pilgrimage
Towards A Nuclear Free Future
01/07/04 - 02/07/04, Shae
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Peacemakers On The Scene |
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International Peace Pilgrimage |
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The Walk on Thursday left Obama and followed the coast, the ocean divided by huge concrete irregular structures, stacked on top of each other like jigsaw pieces, in an attempt to minimise the impact of typhoons. We travel along fringes of forest and pass through tunnels where the darkness and confinement amplifies the chanting and drums. When we stop for lunch at a yacht style restaurant overlooking the water there is overt American hiphop playing (potentially "The Grave Diggaz") which contrasts sharply with the conservative surrounds! After lunch we are on our way to the power plant and are advised that police have been seen around and may potentially try to stop us from entering the tunnel that leads to the plant. As we approach the tunnel, complete with painted smiling flowers next to the 'welcome' sign, 4 or 5 guards attempt to usher us to the PR center. A case of ignoring their subtle gestures enables us to move past them and weave our way through the hastily constructed 2-car roadblock and into the tunnel. Apparently this was the first time the walk has dealt with this sort of confrontation and the energy in overcoming the obstacles appears to fuel the group. We are facing the power plant, women up front, with Kugemia Oshoni san leading the strong chanting. It is because of the Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta that I'm standing where I am today and the fact I'm carrying and playing their clapping sticks floods me with thoughts and energy of the Kungka Tjuta and their inspirational strength and courage in their resistance to the nuclear waste dump. Prayers are offered by members of the group: an end to the nuclear cycle in all its stages, health and safety for all, free from the devastating effects of the nuclear industry. Eventually, we are told to move back or the police will be called in. We acknowledge that at this point we have completed ceremony anyway and decide to walk back through the tunnel to join those still there. We take a little visit into the PR center where we have the chance to work on our power plant stamp collections, test our blood pressure, and watch informative videos on the wonders of nuclear energy. There is a large plaster model of the plant, made on an excursion by local school children, complete with huge flowers and bunnies. The bunnies are at least a third the size of the power plant…and this is meant to represent that nuclear energy is safe? My favorite thing in the center is a simulated fish tank, bubbles flowing up the side of the computerized fish. As one member of the group said "Ive seen real fish in old tvs's but not fake fish in a real tank." Our walk on Friday also finishes at a power plant. This time there is no obstruction and the guards passively watch and redirect traffic as we conduct ceremony lead by Oshonisan, then Native American ceremony lead by Aurelio and then the group offering prayers for all, including the guards and their children. One of these prayers note the difficulty in communicating in a foreign language, and so offers names that the guards may recognize, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As we leave the main gate we pass over the bridge over the massive channel that flows into the plant, looking like something out of a sci-fi movie: huge and ominous. After being in the most dense power plant area in thd world: Fifteen in an eighty km radius, there is a chance to release and re-energise. In the full moon a women's circle is held down by the water at Mekiyodo Cave. Respect and solidarity in this journey for nuclear free future. Energy and thoughts for the Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta and Irati Wanti kungka's. IRATI WANTI - the poison leave it. by Shae Marcus Atkinson reporting 08/01/2004 |
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