{"id":18219,"date":"2021-01-15T07:22:49","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T07:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?p=53836"},"modified":"2021-01-15T07:22:49","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T07:22:49","slug":"controversy-over-renaming-tahitis-hospital-after-chirac-amid-covid-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/15\/controversy-over-renaming-tahitis-hospital-after-chirac-amid-covid-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Controversy over renaming Tahiti\u2019s hospital after Chirac amid covid crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pf-content\"><p><strong>SPECIAL REPORT: <\/strong><em>By Ena Manuireva in Auckland<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It seems a long time ago &#8211; some 124 days &#8211; since M\u0101\u2019ohi Nui deplored its first covid-19 related deaths of an elderly woman on 11 September 2020 followed by her husband just hours later, both over the age of 80.<\/p>\n<p>The local territorial government was indeed saddened about the loss and sent its condolences to the grieving family and relatives.<\/p>\n<p>The opening of M\u0101\u2019ohi Nui\u2019s borders two months earlier on July 15 by the French High Commissioner, Dominique Sorain, in consultation with Tahiti&#8217;s President Edouard Fritch &#8211; who promptly agreed due to economic reasons &#8211; has led to today\u2019s covid-19 pandemic crisis.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?s=Covid+Tahiti\"><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong> Other articles about the covid-19 pandemic impact on M\u0101\u2019ohi Nui<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/2021\/01\/12\/tahitis-covid-19-death-tally-rises-to-122-17000-plus-cases\/\">Tahiti\u2019s covid-19 death tally rises to 122 \u2013 17,000 plus cases<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The latest figures at the time of writing show 124 covid-19 deaths, 40 people in hospital (including 19 patients on ventilators), and 80 new cases, making it a total of more than 17,400.<\/p>\n<p>About 17,500 vaccine doses were available last week on January 7 for more than 8000 people but, unfortunately, one expects more deaths before the injection programme is rolled out.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_53846\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-53846\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-53846 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covid-19-statistics-in-Tahiti-Tahiti-Infos-500wide.png\" alt=\"Tahiti covid-19 statistics\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covid-19-statistics-in-Tahiti-Tahiti-Infos-500wide.png 500w, https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covid-19-statistics-in-Tahiti-Tahiti-Infos-500wide-300x248.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-53846\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">M\u0101\u2019ohi Nui and covid-19, as many deaths as days since the first fatality on 11 September 2020 (as at January 13). Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tahiti-infos.com\/80-nouveaux-cas-et-aucun-deces-lie-au-Covid-ce-mercredi_a197491.html\">Tahiti-Infos<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>These are sobering figures when entering January 2021 on the Gregorian calendar &#8211; and equally the Tahitian chart speaks of the Pleiades constellation, or Matari\u2019i i Ni\u2019a, foretelling abundance that extends from November to May.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, for the mourning families the only season of abundance appears to be the losses of the most vulnerable in our society &#8211; our elders.<\/p>\n<p>It is also quite revealing that information about covid-19 cases are on a drip-feed from the Ministry of Health, with its minister doctor Jacques Raynal comparing covid-19 from the beginning to a mere flu.<\/p>\n<p>And sometimes he was at pains to explain the differences between \u201ccured\u201d and \u201cconvalescing\u201d patients.<\/p>\n<p>It is clear that the local government, along with the highest representative of the French government, were unprepared and remained ill-equipped with this pandemic, a <em>d\u00e9j\u00e0-vu<\/em> situation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The spectre of Jacques Chirac and nuclear past<\/strong><br \/>\nThe most populated islands of the Society archipelago (Tahiti and Moorea) have been under curfew from December 14 to January 15, 2021, and that might be extended.<\/p>\n<p>The only hospital centre of French Polynesia is at Ta\u2019aone in Tahiti and that caters for the covid-19 patients. It has done so to the best of the hospital staff&#8217;s abilities. The same hospital complex is now at the centre of another dispute between pro-independent member of the Parliament Eliane Tevahitua and Health Minister Raynal, who sent an open invitation to the members of the hospital board (Tevahitua being a member), confirming in a ministerial letter that the name of the hospital would become Jacques Chirac, named after the late former French president.<\/p>\n<p>For good measure, the family of President Chirac gave their approval and are honoured by such a gesture.<\/p>\n<p>It is believed that the trade-off is that the Jacques Chirac Square in the capital Pape&#8217;ete (a name given to it by former Tahitian president Gaston Flosse) will be renamed \u201cTahua Tumarama\u201d which in the indigenous language M\u0101\u2019ohi means the &#8220;stage of rising light&#8221; (resembling the aftermath of a nuclear bomb).<\/p>\n<p>The naming of the Chirac square was more than 20 years ago, which was in itself very controversial at the time, due to the fact that a plaque was erected not far from that very square to commemorate the people who had died (and are still dying) from the 30-year French nuclear testing programme started on 2 July 1966.<\/p>\n<p>President Chirac resumed the suspended nuclear testing from September 1995 to May 1996.<\/p>\n<p>Some historical information about the Jacques Chirac hospital complex should be shared. It was a former military base reserved for French military personal and kitted with bungalows.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital opened in 1966 for the Centre of Experimentation of the Pacific (CEP) where the majority of French military were based before or after their missions to Fangataufa, Hao, Mangareva and Moruroa.<\/p>\n<p>As children, we used to enjoy Ta\u2019aone since the maritime military base gave onto a beautiful beach where we sunbathed and surfed, a popular place with the local population.<\/p>\n<p>Those memories seem to send us back to the nuclear testing period some two generations ago and it might be fitting that such a hospital complex should carry the name of one of the French presidents.<\/p>\n<p>What is more telling &#8211; or unfortunate &#8211; is the fact that the name Jacques Chirac appears to carry the signs of death whether related to the square next to the monument dedicated to those who died from the nuclear testing, or to this new hospital where people are being cared for but where unfortunately 124 people have so far died from covid-19, and many more from diseases related to nuclear fallout.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_52581\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-52581\" style=\"width: 680px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-52581 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Eliane-Tevahitua-LDDT-680wide.jpg\" alt=\"\u00c9liane Tevahitua\" width=\"680\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Eliane-Tevahitua-LDDT-680wide.jpg 680w, https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Eliane-Tevahitua-LDDT-680wide-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Eliane-Tevahitua-LDDT-680wide-80x60.jpg 80w, https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Eliane-Tevahitua-LDDT-680wide-557x420.jpg 557w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-52581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pro-independence party parliamentarian \u00c9laine Tevahitua &#8230; challenge over the naming of Tahiti&#8217;s main covid hospital after the late French President Jacques Chirac. Image: La Depeche de Tahiti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>The reply of independent parliamentarian and Oscar Temaru<\/strong><br \/>\nBack to the request of joining the local government in naming the hospital, pro-independence parliamentarian Tevahitua\u2019s response to such an invitation did not fail to tell the health minister and the local government of the independent party Tavini Huira\u2019atira\u2019s (and her) &#8220;deep disappointment and disapproval&#8221; of such a neo-colonialist stand &#8220;to the detriment of the indigenous Polynesian people&#8221;.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;While the M\u0101\u2019ohi people are trying to regain their own history and at a time when your government is promoting the use of the M\u0101\u2019ohi languages in public space, it would have been more judicious to name the hospital Tiurai, an indigenous traditional tahu\u2019a (doctor) who dedicated his life to caring and healing people\u2019s pain for free\u201d.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Ironically, Tiurai died from the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918.<\/p>\n<p>In the same vein through my latest communication with Oscar Temaru, the leader of the independence party Tavini Huira\u2019atira, has shown how his approach to local toponymy favoured illustrious and respected M\u0101\u2019ohi figures who deserved to be honoured by the people, instead of the name of some coloniser.<\/p>\n<p>While at the helm of the country as president (on and off from 2004 to 2009), Temaru changed the name of one of the most important avenues of the capital Pape\u2019ete from Avenue Bruat (the first French governor) to Avenue Pouvana\u2019a a O\u2019opa after the famous indeopendence leader. A judicious political move as this historical avenue is considered to be the heart of the political and administrative arena.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_53844\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-53844\" style=\"width: 680px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-53844 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Ave-Pouvanaa-a-Oopa-EM-680wide.png\" alt=\"Ave Pouvana\u2019a a O\u2019opa\" width=\"680\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Ave-Pouvanaa-a-Oopa-EM-680wide.png 680w, https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Ave-Pouvanaa-a-Oopa-EM-680wide-300x96.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-53844\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Old Avenue Bruat (left) in the heart of Pape&#8217;ete &#8230; now known as Avenue Pouvana\u2019a a O\u2019opa after the Tahitian independence hero. Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tahitiheritage.pf\/avenue-pouvanaa-bruat-papeete\/\">Tahiti Heritage<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This was a move that evidently did not please the French authorities, although naming rights is a competence held by the local government.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Not without irony<\/strong><br \/>\nIt is not without some irony that Temaru declared that there are some Tahitian politicians who are more French than the French and who reluctantly adhered to the new name.<\/p>\n<p>According to Temaru, it is more &#8220;the mentality of our own people that he has been trying to change from the very beginning of his struggle against the French colonial power&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, today a pro-France local government has turned the clock back and are perpetuating the neo-colonialism agenda.<\/p>\n<p>It would have been more appropriate to maintain the original name of the hospital as Ta\u2019aone, which means the rolling of the sand.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the hospitals in Pape&#8217;ete and its neighbouring districts carry a colonial name (Chirac, Prince, Malard\u00e9 and Cardella) apart, from a psychiatric hospital with an indigenous name of Vaiami and a clinic called Paofai.<\/p>\n<p>It might give us an idea of how we, the indigenous people are been perceived and how, while we name buildings by their geographical location, colonisers are obsessed with seeing names of illustrious figures on temporary edifices in an effort to give them permanence and relevancy.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ena-manuireva-b5658939\">Ena Manuireva<\/a> is a Mangarevian originally from the south of &#8220;French&#8221; Polynesia who has lived in New Zealand for many years and is currently a doctoral studies candidate in Te Ara Poutama at Auckland University of Technology. He contributes articles for Asia Pacific Report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/2021\/01\/15\/controversy-over-renaming-tahitis-hospital-after-chirac-amid-covid-crisis\/\">Asia Pacific Report<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SPECIAL REPORT: By Ena Manuireva in Auckland It seems a long time ago \u2013 some 124 days \u2013 since M\u0101\u2019ohi Nui deplored its first covid-19 related deaths of an elderly woman on 11 September 2020 followed by her husband just hours later, both over the age of 80. The local territorial government was indeed saddened<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":400,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338,304,5,694,365,387,442,6,7,4651,255,695,4652,886,12,431,14,1573,15,1743,4653,696,4654,4655],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18219"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/400"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18219"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18220,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18219\/revisions\/18220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}