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The international launch of
ABARA
BANABA was carried out recently at the
International Islands of the World VIII 2004
conference held at
Kinmen Island (Quemoy) Taiwan, between 1-7 Nov 2004.
A Banaban
delegation
attended this event to launch the newly formed Banaban
lobby group -
ABARA
BANABA
at an International level. This
delegation consisted of Iakoba Karutake,
Chairman of the Rabi Council of Leaders, Molly Amon,
Director/Secretary of Rabi Council of Leaders, Ken Sigrah
and Stacey King, spokespersons for
ABARA
BANABA.
The Banaban delegation had four papers/abstracts accepted
and they were also orally presented at the conference.
ABOUT THE
CONFERENCE
This conference, the eight in the International Small
Islands Studies Association (ISISA) series, was titled
Changing Island - Changing Worlds. In 19986, a group
of scholars, researchers, and island enthusiasts from
around the world organised an international conference on
Vancouver Island, Canada to discuss issues related to
small islands. This inaugural "Island of the World"
gathering was followed by other conferences in Tasmania
(1988), the Bahamas (1992), Okinawa (1994), Mauritius
(1998), Isle of Skye (2000), and most recently, Prince
Edward Island (2002). This year's (2004) conference
was held on Kinmen Island, also known as Quemoy, Taiwan.
Although Kinmen Island is the site of warfare and violence
in the 20th century, the island today is a natural
paradise, showing visitors its cultural past with restored
village sites and other buildings that show how the people
of Kinmen have lived and worked. The devastating conflicts
of the past can be seen, making the contrast even greater
with the calm and beauty of the present.
PARTICIPANTS
Over 150 scholars from various regions throughout the
world convened on Kinmen Island with fifteen keynote
speakers delivering speeches during the plenary sessions.
More that 120 papers/abstract were received and either
orally presented during concurrent sessions, or as posters
that were shared with all participants. Conference
participants representing diverse small islands attended
from about thirty different countries: Australia Barbados,
British Virgin Island, Canada, China, Cook Island,
Denmark, Fiji (Banabans),
Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jamaica, Kiribati
(Banabans),
Malta, Mauritius, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Palau,
Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Seychelles, Sweden,
Switzerland, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago-West Indies,
Taiwan, United Kingdom and the USA.
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President ISISA - Prof. Grant McCall
giving the 'Welcoming Address' at Islands of the
World VIII conference |
Close up view of Prof .Grant McCall during his
'Welcoming Address' at ISISA |
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A view of
the audience during the Opening
Ceremony at ISISA conference
Kinmen Island, Taiwan |
Enjoying the 'Welcome
Banquet' on Monday
evening 1 Nov 2004 |
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CONFERENCE THEMES
The themes of the conference included:
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Islands in a Changing World |
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Globalization |
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Regional perspectives |
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Barbados
+ 10 and beyond |
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Islands
and Environmental Concerns |
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Climate change |
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Water resources |
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Biodiversity and cultural
diversity |
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Land use |
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Waste management |
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Coastal and marine resources |
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Islands
and Social Concerns |
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Insular communities |
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Health and population |
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Local sustainable development |
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Educational challenges and
solutions |
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Island societies in transition |
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Economic
perspectives for island societies |
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Economic vulnerability |
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Island Tourism |
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Overcoming the constraints of
small size |
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Insular economies and
transport |
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Culture, history and literature
on changing islands |
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Islanders' voices |
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Islanders' view of history |
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The cultural identity of
islands |
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Social theories of changing
islands |
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Island arts and literature |
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The music of islands |
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Banaban delegation arriving at
Kinmen Island .
L-R: Molly Amon, Iakoba
Karutake, Stacey King, Ken
Sigrah |
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A view of the presentation
titled 'Banaban Identity'
delivered by Chairman of Rabi
Council of Leaders - Iakoba
Karutake during ISISA 2004 |
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Banaban
delegation enjoying the Cultural
Performance evening
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Banaban
delegation enjoying there visit
to the historical village
National Park on Kinmen Island |
BANABAN
PAPERS/ABSTRACTS
The following papers/abstracts were
written and delivered as 20 minute Power
Point presentations by the
Banaban delegation. Copies are now
available for download by clicking on
the
'DOWNLOAD NOW'
highlighted link. These files are
large and depending on the speed of
your modem can take some time to
download. Larger versions of the
images shown on this page can be
viewed by 'double clicking' on each
image.
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A copy of our
Banaban
Papers/Abstracts are available as a
.pdf format which requires Acrobat Reader to read it. To
get a
FREE
copy of Acrobat Reader
"click on
here..." |
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Also during the ISISA conference a
paper on 'Banaban Nationalism' has
been solicited and, if it goes
through a peer review process,
will appear in an internationally
refereed journal late in 2005!
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CONFERENCE OUTCOME - THE
KINMEN DECLARATION -
By the close of the
conference a declaration titled - The Kinmen Declaration
was implemented and is available for download in a .pdf
format.
A WORD OF THANKS
The Banaban delegation would like to thank the ISISA
Executive and members of ISISA for their words of
encouragement and support offered at the recent ISISA VIII
conference. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet
and network with such an array of Island experts in such
diverse fields of interests including, environment,
culture and history, development, island tourism, economic
development etc. The delegation would especially like to
thank the people of Kinmen Island for their warm
hospitality and assistance while we were guests on their
island.
For many of the conference delegates and local students
attending, it was the first time they had heard of the
Banaban people and their history. We hope that the
launch of
ABARA
BANABA
at this forum
is just the start of an international campaign to bring
the plight of the Banabans to a much broader public forum.
If you would like any further information on our papers
of the oral presentations at this launch, please contact
us at - info@banaban.com
For information
of the ISISA 2004 conference can be obtained at -
www.isisa2004.com.tw
OTHER ISISA
MEMBER LINKS
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The newspaper article about the
Banabans - 'The Forgotten People'
appearing in the local Kinmen
Island newspaper during the
conference. |
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Ken Sigrah being interviewed by
local Kinmen Island journalists. |
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