The Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center (MARC) announces the next installment in its Seminar Series entitled “Re/Envisioning Tiempon Gera: Chamorro Wartime Survivors as Living Warriors for Guam”. The event will take place on October 15, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. at the UOG CLASS Lecture Hall and will feature a screening of War for Guam, a documentary about the experience and impact of World War II on the island directed by Frances Negrón Muntaner and co-produced by Baltazar Aguon, Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua, and Christine Borja Sumbi.

"I hope War for Guam conveys how much the Chamorro people lost, and how much more we stand to lose,” Co-Producer Aguon expressed. “This generation of elders were more than just victims, they were heroes. To be able to pick up and move on to create a life in the face of devastation loss is the epitome of the Chamorro warrior spirit."

War for Guam aims to lend increased voice to the people of Guam and facilitate an urgent dialogue about the long-term effects of ongoing U.S. colonialism and militarism on the island, adding complexity to the dominant survivor narrative of the war that is widely accepted in Guam. 

The screening will open with an address by Chamorro historian Dr. James Perez Viernes, and will be followed by a discussion panel featuring a diverse range of participants, who will engage the audience in an open dialogue about the film and panel discussion.

About the Documentary

War for Guam traces the enduring legacy from World War II in Guam, a U.S. territory since 1898, and how the native people of Guam, the Chamorros, remained loyal to the U.S. under Japanese occupation, only to be later stripped of much of their ancestral lands by the American military. Through rare archival footage, contemporary film, and testimonies of survivors and their descendants, the story is told from various points of view, including from war survivors like Antonio Artero, Jr., whose father was awarded one of the first Medals of Freedom for his heroic deeds in protecting American lives; and two key historical figures, Radioman George Tweed and Father Jesus Baza Duenas. (Synopsis from www.warforguam.com)

For more information please contact LaVonne Guerrero-Meno at (671) 735-2150 or lavonneg@uguam.uog.edu.