10 Standing in the Middle of the Ocean: Time for a Public Theology
191
and indeed how the public sphere—or its equivalent—is constructed is particular to
culture. Within the setting of low-lying Tuvalu it allows Talia to draw upon indigenous
customary knowledge—the muna o te fale [the wisdom of the house]—as well as the
medium of the fatele (the traditional dancing song). Within the context of densely
populated South Tarawa (capital of Kiribati) it allows Timon to make the case for
an indigenous coconut theology of climate change
1 while making room for crisisinspired songs that express a theology of resistance, lament, and “only God knows”
[providence] (Pearson 2020).
That standing in the Middle of the Ocean is the first line of one such song: it conveys
the ambiguity of seemingly having nowhere to stand because the word marawa
represents ‘the deep sea or deep void where feet cannot stand’. It suggests a lack of
help and the tragic irony of having to live ‘without a ground or strong foundation to
stand’. It carries an intimation of migration and relocation which is then bound to
a summons to resistance: Koburake, koburake ‘arise’. For Timon this summons is a
bid to make a stand through indigenous ‘strength, skills and knowledge’. In terms
of a kairos moment that affirmation of ‘I stand’ may nevertheless be construed as an
opportunity for a public theology. It represents a claim to agency, a voice, a capacity
for the other to hear, and perhaps holds out a hope that will find solidarity beyond the
song’s lament that there is ‘no one to help me’ (Timon and Kaunda 2019, pp. 4–5).
The Blue Pacific
Those charged with the task of overseeing regional security in the Blue Pacific are
well aware of the deepening imperative to act with the sense of urgency that the word
kairos implies. The Communiqué emanating from the 50th session of the Pacific
Forum held on Tuvalu (13–16 August, 2019) described ‘escalating climate change
impacts’: climate change is deemed to be ‘the single greatest threat to the livelihoods,
security and wellbeing’ of peoples in the region. (Paragraph 14). The Communiqué
built upon the Boe Declaration and the SAMOA Pathway and dealt with multiple
geopolitical issues: its primary concern for climate change, though, was evident in
its turn to the Kainaki II Declaration for Urgent Climate Action Now (Paragraph 15).
The rhetoric permeating these documents is one of the need for resilience, security,
health, and solidarity.
The strategic action recognized the ‘need for urgent, immediate actions’ while
seeking a ‘collective commitment’ to realize a long-term vision—the 2050 Strategy
for the Blue Pacific. It was set within the framework of IPCC and UNFCC declarations, most notably, the Paris Agreement on carbon emissions, 2015. The Communiqué sought to be inclusive and agreed that the Strategy ‘must ensure social, cultural,
1 The term coconut theology was first employed by Sione ‘Amanaki Havea’. It signifies the desire
to construct a Christian theology making use of indigenous Pacific Island symbols, customs and
ideas. The coconut is employed as the descriptive term as an alternative to the way in which Jesus
made use of bread in his teaching. It thus represents the sustenance of life.
191
and indeed how the public sphere—or its equivalent—is constructed is particular to
culture. Within the setting of low-lying Tuvalu it allows Talia to draw upon indigenous
customary knowledge—the muna o te fale [the wisdom of the house]—as well as the
medium of the fatele (the traditional dancing song). Within the context of densely
populated South Tarawa (capital of Kiribati) it allows Timon to make the case for
an indigenous coconut theology of climate change
1 while making room for crisisinspired songs that express a theology of resistance, lament, and “only God knows”
[providence] (Pearson 2020).
That standing in the Middle of the Ocean is the first line of one such song: it conveys
the ambiguity of seemingly having nowhere to stand because the word marawa
represents ‘the deep sea or deep void where feet cannot stand’. It suggests a lack of
help and the tragic irony of having to live ‘without a ground or strong foundation to
stand’. It carries an intimation of migration and relocation which is then bound to
a summons to resistance: Koburake, koburake ‘arise’. For Timon this summons is a
bid to make a stand through indigenous ‘strength, skills and knowledge’. In terms
of a kairos moment that affirmation of ‘I stand’ may nevertheless be construed as an
opportunity for a public theology. It represents a claim to agency, a voice, a capacity
for the other to hear, and perhaps holds out a hope that will find solidarity beyond the
song’s lament that there is ‘no one to help me’ (Timon and Kaunda 2019, pp. 4–5).
The Blue Pacific
Those charged with the task of overseeing regional security in the Blue Pacific are
well aware of the deepening imperative to act with the sense of urgency that the word
kairos implies. The Communiqué emanating from the 50th session of the Pacific
Forum held on Tuvalu (13–16 August, 2019) described ‘escalating climate change
impacts’: climate change is deemed to be ‘the single greatest threat to the livelihoods,
security and wellbeing’ of peoples in the region. (Paragraph 14). The Communiqué
built upon the Boe Declaration and the SAMOA Pathway and dealt with multiple
geopolitical issues: its primary concern for climate change, though, was evident in
its turn to the Kainaki II Declaration for Urgent Climate Action Now (Paragraph 15).
The rhetoric permeating these documents is one of the need for resilience, security,
health, and solidarity.
The strategic action recognized the ‘need for urgent, immediate actions’ while
seeking a ‘collective commitment’ to realize a long-term vision—the 2050 Strategy
for the Blue Pacific. It was set within the framework of IPCC and UNFCC declarations, most notably, the Paris Agreement on carbon emissions, 2015. The Communiqué sought to be inclusive and agreed that the Strategy ‘must ensure social, cultural,
1 The term coconut theology was first employed by Sione ‘Amanaki Havea’. It signifies the desire
to construct a Christian theology making use of indigenous Pacific Island symbols, customs and
ideas. The coconut is employed as the descriptive term as an alternative to the way in which Jesus
made use of bread in his teaching. It thus represents the sustenance of life.