Cruise Report

July.1st

Barefoot Gabriel “Gabi” Tetiarahi
Anti-nuclear and Indigenous Rights Activist

Mr. Gabriel Tetiarahi, a guest educator also known as Gabi, started his lecture with a lively Tahitian greeting “Iorana!”. Gabi established NGO Hiti Tau to protect the identity of Tahiti’s indigenous Maohi people. Gabi stood at the front of the anti-nuclear movement in the South Pacific ignited by the nuclear tests conducted by France on the Mururoa Atoll. He currently helps foster the knowledge and growth of young people and actively practices organic farming with traditional methods. In Japan, Tahiti is sometimes called “paradise” and it has an image of a resort country. However, there is a history that should never be forgotten. That being the destruction of the culture and identity of the indigenous people because of the French occupation and the conducting of nuclear tests which ignored the consequences on the local community and their health. He shared with us the suffering of the times when the use of the local language was restricted, the reality of the nuclear tests, and also his other activities and rich experiences. He promotes self-sufficiency and self-determination in Tahiti and the South Pacific as a Tahitian. Gabi emphasized that “Life is not about sorrow, we have to live with passion and excitement.”