LBC: Karera I Palabran Mami

This poetry reading, the name of which translates into "The Journey of Our Words", was set up by two Chamorro ladies from the island of Guam.  The event was way more than I expected, and for that I give them much credit.  Their poems all addressed major issues on Guam, such as colonialism, identity, suicide, etc.  Although I was unable to stay for the entire reading, I was impressed with what I was able to witness.  

What I found interesting was that both of the poets weren't native speakers of Chamorro, but they had incorporated many Chamorro words into their writings, such as the event title.  One of the ladies brought up an interesting point, as she began to call out to our ancestors by addressing them by their names "Guelo yan guela", but immediately after that, she continued speaking in English.  With that, she asked our ancestors what they thought of her and the rest of the Chamorro youth who could only speak English and therefore could only address our native Chamorro ancestors who obviously spoke only Chamorro, in English.  She asked if they didn't even acknowledge us because of the differences in language or if they looked upon us with shame.

Another interesting point was brought up regarding her ability to speak English "well", which was evident in her poems.  Many people, including myself, who come from the "other" islands are frequently commended on our ability to articulate and paint vivid pictures orally with the English language.  She asked why was that such an amazement to these people and whether we were mentally incapable of comprehending such a "prestige" language.  She spoke about how many Chamorros were impressed by her English and yet found humor when she would attempt to speak her native language.   I thought, however, that since she is an excellent speaker of the English language, she would also be able to excel in the Chamorro language if she attempted to take it up.  There was an instance in her poem where she tried to speak to our ancestors in Chamorro, but her Chamorro was really "broken" and she apologized for it.  I thought it was a great effort on her part.

Overall, the poetry reading in my opinion was a great success.  Linguistically, it was interesting for me to see what the Chamorros in Guam were going through regarding identity and language, since I am a Chamorro too, but from a different island.  I think that it is great that they were addressing their issues via their talent.