One man’s trash is another man’s treasure…
I will probably get a lot of crap for this because I know that as Tongans, we like to put our best face forward, think positive, even in the most dire of circumstances. But, I have to share one of my most memorable experiences in Tonga.
I think a dose is reality is a good thing. I could have easily blogged about the beautiful beaches and resorts in Tonga, and there are many, but this particular experience left an impression on me.
I heard of the landfill at Patangata from various people in PT and through news stories on the internet. I wanted to see it mostly because I was intrigued that Tonga, an island so small with an equally small population, could actually have a landfill. But mostly, I wanted to see the people who have moved next to it and depend on the landfill to provide them with their everyday needs.
So, one day, I went with my driver, Verna Tukuafu, to Patangata. As we pulled up, a truck had just arrived and unloaded its contents. There was a family sitting across the street, anticipating the next garbage delivery and sure enough, they raced across the street and sorted through the garbage, looking for anything they could use.
I saw two ladies examine a monomono and then fold it and put it aside. They continued to rummage through the trash, this time other family members came to join in. I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures, but I don’t know what came over me…I felt like I was intrusive, even though I was at a far distance, and I felt sorry for them so after a few shots, I tucked my camera away. I guess in my own naive way, I wanted them to retain the little dignity they have left.
We drove past the scene and I looked over to my left and saw a woman there holding her baby. She made eye contact with me, and I felt this immediate uneasiness, but then she smiled at me! It was the biggest smile I saw in Tonga, very sincere, warming, inviting and happy. I smiled backed and as we drove away, I was so touched by this experience - that in Tonga, even the poorest of the poor can still manage to smile and make your day.
August 4th, 2006 at 4:05 am
Lisiate…Thankyou for this blog. Yuo wrote it very well. Is there anything being done to help these poor people in Patangata?
August 8th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Pigs look good for eating but maybe they should give them a health physical before going to the umu. You could be a little surprise at what treasures you find at a landfill, even in a tonga’s one. They should move the landfill inland away from the beach front…And for those poor people living in that area, move them to an area they could farm and live off the land. So lets take a ride to the turnaround area, look at the motu’s and take pride at our beautiful island called Tonga.
August 15th, 2006 at 1:38 am
Lisiate,
You did not deserve that woman’s smile. Why on earth would do that to our people, are you proud of what you did! I am going to write every darn paper in Tonga, Taimi Tonga, Matangi Tonga, Planet Tonga, and tell tham about you and your little dam camera, stop being gay and find one of the beautiful sites in our beautiful little island. And can you stop making fun of them. You need to get slapped for that, IDIOT!
August 15th, 2006 at 5:42 am
OK NOW MS. ISLAND GIRL …..ITS OVER ALREADY…….GET OVER IT
August 18th, 2006 at 1:09 am
I think islandgirl is living in a fantasy world. Of course Tonga is beautiful but you can’t deny reality. Take a look around the world, there is a good side and a bad side. To me, I think it’s good that Lisiate took those pictures because I would never thought that there is such poverty in Tonga. What ever happened to relatives of these families that lives overseas? Shouldn’t they be helping out these unfortunate families? Isn’t that why they moved overseas? What about the good neighbors of these people? What about the local churches? To me that’s what Tonga is all about…koe ‘ofa fakakainga!!! These issues need to be brought out so that the Tongan people are aware of it? Espcially the Tongans living overseas. Islandgirl, your in denial…instead of criticizing Lisiate, do something about it and say something constructive instead of tearing people down cause your not helping the problem at all. I don’t believe Lisiate meant it as something for people to laugh at cause if you read his blog, it made him think about it. I always thought that such things only exist in impoverished countries in Asia or in the Carribbeans like Haiti. You sound like a typical Tongan living in the (fakapo’uli) dark ages always quick to tear down before you open your mouth!!!
August 18th, 2006 at 1:26 am
Island Girl…..
Did you not notice the many other pictures I took in Tonga? It’s on the same page.
The landfill at Patangata is REALITY. Just like the beautiful beaches in Tonga, the landfill and the inhabitants next to it is a part of Tonga. And just like any other nation in the world, there will always be bums, scavengers, poor people. Even so called “developed” nations have bums, look at the metropolitan areas of the USA, Australia, Europe….
So, if you don’t want to face REALITY, then go elsewhere to look at other pictures of Tonga like the sunsets, the beaches and such and continue to live your happy, fullfilling life in LALA land.
August 18th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Lisiate, why did you waste your time responding to Islandgirl? She sounds like a 12 year old.
August 18th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
Lisiate mahalo pe ko e kainga ena ‘a islandgirl ‘oku ‘asi mai he ta! heeheee!!
Thank you for the blogs and the pics.
‘ofa atu mei Vava’u lahi,
S.S.
August 19th, 2006 at 3:44 am
Hey Vakulahi:
Vale kaemu’a! ‘ikai ke ‘ilo ia ha taha ‘ae kakai ‘i patangata! ka koe fk’ofa’ia hono faita pehe’i, koe ongo ‘ae tonga ‘oku kehe mei ha toe fonua!
August 19th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
Dear Lisiate:
Thank you for the pics, you have always been an inspirational photographer and a great writer, but I agree on the pictures of the woman, my heart goes out to her, for posting her picture like that, no offense Rich, We all make mistakes, That is the only picture you have taken that I didn’t like, the rest are beautiful as always, your a hard worker, your pictures just makes me appreciate Tonga more. I guess some of us have to face reality! Keep us the good work!
sjohanson
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:09 am
Rich,
Who care about them garbage, they ya da ya da their mouth, they don’t know s__t, keep yo head up, and keep up the good work!
October 14th, 2006 at 3:57 am
Thank you so much for pictures, I have no idea that we have places like that in Tonga, I have always visualize people is taken care of by family members, I grew up in the States and when people asked me about Tonga I told them how beautiful the people are and no one in homeless or go hungry cause everybody take care of each other, that they might be poor financially but they are rich in love and knowing God thats how I remember Tonga so I have never heard of this landfill till I read your blog.
We need to pray for our people and I’m so blessed to call myself Tongan even thou I don’t know a whole lot about our Island but in my heart I know more than some people.
May God continue to bless Tonga
Thank you,
from the Northwest…………
October 27th, 2006 at 10:43 am
There are people around the world that do not want to see or hear bad things about themselves. Reality is always real and does not care about our feeling. It always stands in itself regardless of human desires and wants. We are here to face reality and live with it. Tuku e fasi’a ka tau sai.
Malo
October 27th, 2006 at 10:49 am
there are no homeless in tonga. the reality is that there are stupid people that wanted to look faka’ofa. they collected the papers and iron from the veve to built house rather than lalanga e louniu ‘o langa ‘aki e fale. taimi ke taa’i mo e vale fuoloa.
kataki
October 29th, 2006 at 8:23 pm
Dear Lisiate,
In response to some of the queries and comments above, you can read more about the situation in Tonga from a report that was done by the Asian Development Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance in 2003 titled Poverty and Hardship assessment of Tonga. You can download the full report from the ADB website or visit the tonga-now website of the RIO or the Revenue Information Office. And many more on Tonga just go to http://www.google.com.
However in regards to the landfill Tonga Government has relocated this landfill to Vaini as the Patangata site is to be cleared for development. I am not sure of the project that is to be done there but hearsay has it that Japanese Aid will turn it into a park.
Majority of the people living around the landfill and in Patangata are from the outer islands who have come to Nuku’alofa in search of work. Unfortunately as pictured here some of them have not been so lucky and the landfill has become their livelihood.
In response to what can be done for these people are many but one springs to mind is a suggestion for PT to may be organise a fundraiser. It could be on your website or an organised event in your community. Your website is popular among overseas Tongans and the hardship of the Patangata people can be made more apparent as has been on this page.
Dignity is not lost in salvaging rubbish to survive but in not lending a helping hand out of your abundance. We can’t all be heros but we are all responsible.
Faka’apa’apa atu,
Fellow Tongan
November 11th, 2006 at 6:06 am
we humans always wear mask to hide ouself from reality, these people might have came from the outer island of tonga to settle in the main island for purposes/goals. if they choose to start their living from this side of tonga, then its their own decisions, what we do is not putting them down, mocked, or any negative responds but feel the situations and do the right things, if you want to reach out, why not, or keep the smallest element of the body quiet.
then thats the heart with the brain…….
November 11th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
I read Rich article and I wanted to add my story.I worked in tonga for two years. Every friday me and the boys loaded up the truck full of rubbish and took to PT,I never forgot driving through the gate pass the shed on the left to the center of the landfil.I could`nt breath not even with my face cover was worse than any dump I ever experient in NZ. Every time I went there there were old ladies ,they come to new rubbish before you have a chance to unload them.The worse thing I ever saw there , was what look like a 13 or 14 years old girl,wearing a long dress with no shoes that touch the wet ground and soaked up to her waist in the smelly mud like a wet sponge. It made me wonder what is going on.
At that moment I wish I could take them home to Kolomotu`a.Even today I wish I had done something about it. I am in USA right now and everytime I tell the Tongan People about it , They laughed at my face and call me a liar. I wonder if they know the truth about it and still call me a liar.
I feel like I am the only one that know about it. Sometimes Me and the boys ,here in USA kapekape to each other as a joke I always finish with !whateve you come from Popua(PT). They just stare at me and I know they know.
I am sorry to tell you but there always ladies mostly old searching through that dumb, there were so many, millions of fly landing on your face you could`nt keep your eyes open properly.
November 15th, 2006 at 3:25 am
The pictures are the reality of what is going on @ PT. Ko e ki’i kole pe kia Rich ke ne kamata’i atu ha trust fund ke tokoni ki he kainga. The govt. should also banned people from this area, this has been going on for years not just this year or last year.
November 28th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
I appreciate your time to post some of your pictures and also for the website. It is nice to see somethings about our island in this vast technology world. I have the same guilt of not doing anything to promote our island or even help others who are in need especially the little ones who are the future of Tonga.
There’s only one thing I do not agree with, is having the people on the pictures. The situation and the subject is pretty sensitive in our little island. I am aware that you try your best to post the ones not showing faces directly, but still, I just felt especially for the ladies and the children. It is my personal feeling and I am sure it would offend those who are connected to them directly. However, I understand the message that you try to send to our people.
I had been to Tonga a couple of times before, but my last trip to Tonga was for a month and I was able to see something I didn’t really see before. The dumping site and the community surrounding it was a disturbing sight for me.
Earlier this year, I visited Tonga around February. I took some pictures of Patangata also. I was shocked. Flies were all over inside our car. The smell was awful. I drove there again just to look at the residential areas around the dumping site. I couldn’t believe how many families that are living right there - breathing the polluted air and raising their families around an (so called) unhealthy environment by the civilized world. I am sure the people there do not know any better and probably have no choice. My thought that day, how could the government allow these kind of living for these poor people? Is it a dream job from the closeby ‘center of economic’-Nuku’alofa Or is it a dream of a better education that brought them there? We drove around the whole island to Hihifo and Hahake. I was amazed by how much spacious land that are not developed for the people to be there instead of PT, occupied, or even farmed. I was wondering why in the world do these people get stuck in that unhealthy place like PT and not in the ‘uta’ areas where they can plant their own crops and breath the island fresh air. I thought about it again and realized that maybe these people had no choice but to live in the land they are given and allowed to stay or could own. It reminded me of a humble beginning when I first moved here to America.
But, there is great opportunities here for us to improve faster, better and to help those that are in need in our poor island. So, for whatever reason these poor Tongans get stuck there, we can’t move a whole town. It is best to move the dumping site to another area away from them and out of Nuku’alofa area. Like what one person already mentioned that there’s an aid from Japan. It is a good start. I really think that one site is not enough for the whole of Tongatapu. It is another financial discussion but it is a way out of a bigger problem. They should have about 2 dumping sites for the conveniency and easy to take care. It is a good idea to have a trust fund. My concern is that a lot of funds from overseas had been abused and misused which is a set back to some of our people that want to help. I am glad to see suggestions in the comments to make us see, think, and search more and to ‘DO IT’
We just have to find the ways and someone to start the work. Tongans are people with great ‘love’ and ‘oneness’. Whatever we say, negative or positive, we always end up do things just for the sake and for the name of Tonga. (For example) I had been in America for over 20 years. Tongan religious groups are everywhere whether we are in America, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, or Tonga. I had seen other races who are struggling to get a group going. Or, they come up and go. You will find a Tongan church or group anywhere. For a good cause, we gather for a dance, a kalapu, koniseti, wedding, birthday celebration, graduation or ‘faikava’. In just a couple of hours and in one night, the ’so called’ poor islanders of Tonga can easily raise thousands of dollars, even $20,000 in one night. It is because ‘Koe Tonga Mo’unga Ki he Loto’.
That is ‘Oneness’ and ‘Love’. When the Tongan hearts are set to do things together, it is powerful and will be done. That is because we are all Tongans for Life. We feel that special love for Tonga and our people whereever we are. Our opinions and ideas may not always the same, but just for the sake of ‘love’ and ‘help’, we should all work together to do something ke lava ai ‘o to’o e ngaahi ‘imisi ‘oku ‘ikai ketau fie sio kiai mei hotau ki’i ‘otumotu anga’ofa. I am trying here to get something to help whether it is for the PT community or the recent disaster in our Island Kingdom of Tonga.
Moe Loto Faka’apa’apa Mo’oni
(Many Islanders Need Our Help)