Memoirs Pasifika now available for streaming, download
Memoirs Pasifika, a podcast exploring events, movements, and people in modern Micronesian history, officially launched today.
Each episode explores a different topic, and is largely told through interviews with people who witnessed or somehow participated in the events in question.
The first episode, titled “Christmas Odyssey in Vietnam,” tells the story of Gov. Carlos Camacho’s eventful trip to Vietnam — at the height of the war — to visit Guam's battle-weary troops during Christmas 1969. As the episode reveals through interviews with witnesses and participants, Camacho’s trip unexpectedly helped shape Guam’s political history and launched a practice among politicians nationwide that continues up until today. It even inspired a hit song by Chamoru singer/songwriter, Johnny Sablan.
“Micronesia is a group of tiny islands with a big history,” says the show’s producer, Tony Azios. “Despite possessing a wealth of fascinating stories, very few podcasts discuss Micronesia’s unique history or tap into the region’s archival collections. Memoirs Pasifika attempts to meet that need through a deeply researched podcast dedicated to recent Micronesian history — while giving voice to the people who lived it.”
The show’s producer is working closely with subject matter experts, including history and Micronesian studies professors at the University of Guam, as well as archival organizations from throughout the region, such as the Micronesian Area Research Center.
Memoirs Pasifika hopes the show will help to grow interest in the region, foster discussion, and inspire further investigation into the events, people, social movements, and ideas that helped shape contemporary Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as Micronesia’s impacts on the global stage.
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The first episode is now available for download and streaming across multiple sites, including Spotify, SoundCloud, Patreon, Libsyn, Facebook, and YouTube. The show is currently under review by Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Amazon / Audible and should be available on those platforms in a few days.
A visit to the podcast’s website (www.memoirspasifika.com) gives fans access to a supplementary archival media relating to the first episode’s topic, such as pertinent photos, music, and scanned newspaper clippings from the era.
Memoirs Pasifika is supported through grants from Humanities Guahan, The Northern Marianas Humanities Council, the Guam Council on the Arts & Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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