Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 12, 1 December 1994 — A station for the nation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A station for the nation

by Rowena Akana Trustee-at-Large Although the specific model has not been chosen, it seems inevitable that some form of sovereignty will be achieved in the near future. As we progress confi-

dently down the path to political decolonization, it is important to continue the decolonization of our culture as well. The two are part and parcel of one another. perhaps indistinguishable. Self-determination in the cultural sphere energizes and

justifies the ongoing battle for self-determination in the poliīieal sphere. As the great philosopher of anti-colonial resistance Frantz Fanton onee said. "The phenomena of resistance observed in the colonized must be related to an attitude of counter-assimilation, of maintenance of a cultural, henee national. originality."

We must not think, however, that this mandate refers exclusively to "traditional" cultural practices. As we approach the dawn of the 2 1 st century, it is incumbent upon us to mix the old with the new, synthesizing the ancient ways and the wisdom of our

kūpuna with modern technology and eontemporary cultural forms. Many students of cultural resistance by colonized people see the process of resistance as eonsisting of three parts. In the first stage, the colonized still feel culturally

inferior to the colonizer and seek to emulate their woks without adapting them to their special circumstances. Stage two sends the colonized in the opposite direction, leading them to find merit primarily in a fetishized version of "pre-contact" folk culture. In the third stage, the strict dichotomies of "Western," "non-

Western," "traditional" and "modern" all collapse in favor of hybridity and a simultaneity of forms. It is this third stage that we are in today. A large number of videographers, Hawaiian and kama'āina, are producing work on the rich history and complex pre-sent-day reality of Hawai'i and Hawaiians, synthesizing the best of the metropolis and the colony and forging a distinctive new eulture.

Hawaiians must start envisioning how the mass media will be related to and used by the new nation. We must consider the many ways in whieh a station for the nation could be used: as a bulletin board for community events. a showcase for the best of modem and traditional practices, a fomm for discussion and oratory, a source of stories, history and news. A station for the nation is no longer the dream of a few isolated visionaries, but a practical possibility in the real world. In the 1992 session, the state Legislature

passed a Senate Concurrent Resolution advocating the establishment of a station dedicated to Hawaiian culture, history and lan-

guage and asked Pacific Islanders in Communication and 'Ōlelo, the Corporation for Community Television, to collaborate on an initial study. Similarly, the recently held Hawai'i International Film Festival has made indigenous filmmaking a featured component

of the festival for the second straight year (to say noting of its ongoing showcase of Hawai'i filmmakers) and seems committed to continued promotion of indigenous media in the years to eome. For a nation without a contiguous land base, as seems likely in Hawai'i, a station for a naīion could play a powerful role in uniting the disparate territories. Indeed, it could be one of the most important symbols of sovereignty, a site for the constant refreshment and reinvention of the Hawaiian soul.

As we approach the dawn of the 21 st eentury, it is incumbent upon us to mix the old with the new, synthesizing the ancient ways and the wisdom of our kūpuna with modern technology and contemporary cultural forms.

As we eome to the end of the eventful year of 1994, with eleetions finally behind us, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the many voters, who not only eame out to vote but supported me in my re-election to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. I wish you all a happy holiday season. God bless, and see you next year.