Money can't buy late Prof Torben Monberg work on Bellona

The allegations that some of us have labelled against the late Prof Torben Monberg are unfounded and misleading. We are wrong in every count. Firstly, the late Prof Torben Monberg has nothing to do with the anti-mining campaign that Joses Tuhanuku, David Tuhanuku and Dykes Angiki, were carrying out in Bellona in the 1960s. The very issues that they were fighting over with pro-miners then are the same ones that we are now debating today in the Avaiki forum i.e the threats of mining to our society's tradition, culture, environment, politics, economy and general way of life.

Additionally, the late Prof Torben's academic research on Bellona Island has left an invaluable legacy of scholarly work that our generations of today and tomorrow will gladly appreciate. For your information, academic researchers around the world are carrying out researches with the intention of providing or adding new knowledge to existing one. Academics do not become millionaires from carrying out researches in the various disciplines of Art. In fact it is the opposite – young academics are often living in semi-poverty in order to gain knowledge. Researching is a very big sacrifice by the individuals, whose only primary objective is to gain new knowledge and make a difference in society.

The sad thing about this debate is the person that you have accused is a deceased. But I will defend his “integrity” because of the brief knowledge that I’ve known about him since we became acquainted in 2000 to 2002. The late Prof Tobern and Prof Rolf Kushel are amongst few Western scholars, who have done great justice to our people, knowledge and history, at a time when our society was still intact from Tongahiti (Melanesian) and Western influence.

Disappointingly, for decades, many Bellonese have had a wrong perception and continuing to blemish and dismiss his ground breaking work as nothing less of motivated by greed and financial interests. What a pity. In fact, critics of the late Prof Tobern should be thankful to him and his family for his commitment to the people of our island and his ongoing endeavor to properly informed the global community about us - a feat that no Bellonese critics will ever repay. I hope our future generations; especially those ones that have been born and brought up in Honiara and overseas, without a clue whatsoever of our culture, tradition and history, will appreciate it someday.

Briefly, the history of Prof Tobern Monberg initial struggle to carry out a research on Bellona is one to be admired. The young Torben Monberg came from a family background of millionaires. His grandfathers and father had owned and passed on an engineering company in Denmark, which was also operating in other countries in Europe during the world wars. It was that wealthy background that helped the young Torben to initially come and research in Samoa. But his readings of the Pacific Islands history led him to a brief account of the island of Bellona.

With very little written materials or literature about our society then, the late Torben traveled to the Solomons. The only access to Bellona then was a once a year boat trip. This young European braved the open waters and rough seas between Guadalcanal Island and Bellona to reach the island by boat. To cut the story short, his facts finding mission sort of further confirmed his fascination with the history and anthropology of Bellona. It led him to apply for a permit to carry out a research on the island. Mind you, academics do not earn money out of research. If anything, they receive traveling allowances, which are often peanuts, from their host institutions to travel to and from the locations of research.

Since the 1960s until today, the late Prof Torben Monberg has had his critics – criticizing him of  many unfounded allegations and using of Bellona as a way of making him wealthy. Critics must remember this - Joses Tuhanuku was among one of his earlier critics (one of his articles was published by the Solomon media then). But as a dignified person, in later years and through his good will and generosity, the late Prof Torben Monberg helped Joses to get a scholarship to study industrial relations in Europe in the 1970s.

In the context of the many Bellonese, whom the late Prof Torben Monberg had assisted over decades to again better education in Solomon Islands and overseas, none of them have ever repaid him or his family for his generosity. The most comforting aspect, I guess, is some of them have played vital roles in the leadership and community development of our people (Rennell and Bellona Islands). It is also crazy to suggest that the late Prof Torben was engaged in local politics, which could have risked his research permit (being a foreigner). So this is just a false claim that no one should label on the late Prof Tobern.

It is also interesting to note that the very people, who are advocating the mining of Bellona Island, are all residing in Honiara. They are talking about the economic problems of Honiara and White River as the basis of justifying their push to mine Bellona. It is interesting because Bellona is a subsistence community, where 100% of our village workforce is unemployed. People of Bellona are not paying land lease, rent, water and electricity bills etc etc.

Villagers on Bellona Island are supposed to live off gardens and fishing to feed themselves. Any Western or Chinese food must be or should be a bonus. Yet the Honiara-based proponents of mining are accusing us, who are living overseas of being selfish and greedy for not supporting their move to mine the island. We are all struggling, but if the issue here is people at Whiter River are doing it tough economically, tell them to go back home and make gardens and fish to feed themselves. Ko Mungiki nima ongea ai tepengea, koia te lazy bugger.

On other issues, I guess critics of the anti-miners should appreciate that you are proud of yourself as a Bellonese today because of the work of a few people then, who were fighting hard to preserve the island for you and I. Secondly, it is understandable that the economic hardship that you are facing now is a global problem - not only an Avaiki (another name for Rennell and Bellona Islands) problem, but a global phenomenon. In Honiara, Bellona, USA, Europe, NZ, Australia, etc, people are losing their jobs and livelihoods because of economic recessions.

Thirdly – you and I were among the many young Bellonese who were attending Siota Secondary School in Gela, Central Province at different times during the 1980s and 1990s. Though at different times, we went through the same experiences of home-sick, poor diet, substandard education, lack of good sanitation and dormitories, sick with malaria weeks on, and the list goes on. At the same time, some of our relatives and fellow Avaikians also attended other prestigious schools such as Su’u, Betikama, and KG IV. We all ended up in Honiara and White River and you know the rest of the story.

Many of our Wantoks choose to enjoy life, headed home and got married and live an easy life, while a few of us, including yourself and I, remained in Honiara, and continued to struggle looking for employment, enrolled in extension studies at USP Honiara and evening classes at SICHE. Besides, we also worked for very lowly paid wages to earn a living. As a young journalist with the Solomon Toktok back then, my salary was $120 a fortnight (about $65.00 Australian dollars).

I still recall those good old days when I was staying with you and your brother, Francis Tuimaka, at his small house at Tandai Highway. We were struggling with everything basics. We were financially broke every week and our daily meals were often noodle, taiyo, rice with tea. On the other hand, many of our cousins and young Avaikians choose to go back home or even parasites on other relatives, enjoying the comfort of their homes in Honiara and the relax atmosphere and serenity of Bellona Island.

Many times during those years, we were going without a decent meal for days, yet we hanged on with the hope of making a difference in our own lives. Our hard work then had been paid off today. It was an investment that you, Francis and I had made 20 years ago. Why are we going to feel guilty for working our butt out to earn a living and set a course for our future while some of our cousins and fellow young Avaikians, who were graduated from renown high schools and colleges, chosen to live an easy lifestyle? I do not buy the argument that Bellona needs to be mined because our people in Honiara are suffering financially.

Bro…. it is a common practice in Bellona and Rennell community to be protective of our “Atima’ongi” (relatives). I hope I am not upsetting you and Francis in any way.