Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight. I'm Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I'm Marina Santee. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The sounds of native Canadian people. They are called ‘the First Nations'. Their ancestors were there before Canada became Canada. But these sounds come from four young men. They are standing around a circular drum, and beating it with wooden sticks. They are reproducing the sounds of their ancestors. The boys are part of a Canadian group called ‘Native Drum.'. They use music and art to communicate the ways of their ancestors.
Voice 2
But these boys also listen. They listen to older people tell stories of long ago. Grandmothers and grandfathers share wisdom for the heart. ‘Watch what you say, words are medicine.' ‘Words can harm or heal.' Communicating by word of mouth is very important - it is part of the First Nation's oral tradition. Their ancestors used stories in the same way. They told stories with messages about life. It was their way of sharing knowledge.
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In today's Spotlight we hear some stories about the power of knowledge sharing by word of mouth! We hear how a project in the Caribbean is saving knowledge and wisdom from the past for future generations. And we hear how knowledge in a natural disaster saved a whole country!
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People everywhere remember the tsunami of 2004. The powerful waves were the result of an earthquake deep below the sea bed. People watched the pictures of the tsunami on their televisions. They saw the mass destruction that the tsunami caused. The huge waves destroyed schools, hospitals and homes. Around two hundred and thirty thousand people died.
Voice 1
But on one island, almost the whole population survived. The Island of Simeulue lies on the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is just forty kilometres from where the centre of the earthquake was. Eighty three thousand people live here. When the tsunamis hit, only seven of the people died. In the mainland town close by, Aceh, over one hundred thousand people were killed. What saved the people of Simeulue? It was knowledge.
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Antos Ceeranto is from the Island of Simeulue. He was nine years old when the tsunami hit. He and his friends were playing football by the sea. He said:
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‘We knew we had to run to the hills. It was very frightening. The whole island moved.'
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Anthony and his friends all survived. They saw the sea move back into the ocean. Like the other people in Simeulue, they knew that this was a sign to run! They had learned this from knowledge passed down through generations. An older man in the village explained:
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‘Thanks to our ancestors, everyone knows what to do. There was a tsunami here in 1907. Our grandmothers always advised us: If an earthquake happens, look at the sea. If the water is falling back, like a very low tide, it means the tsunami is coming. Everyone must run to higher ground straight away.'
Voice 1
Everyone in Simeulue seemed to have heard about the ‘smong' stories. Smong is the word for tsunami in the native language. There is not much written information about the smong of 1907. But Simeulue has an oral history - the people have passed information from one generation to the next. They shared their stories and knowledge. The people believe that almost seventy percent of the population died in 1907. There were stories about bodies found in the tops of trees. Grandmothers told their children how to see warning signs from the sea. They made sure their children passed on the stories to their children. And in 2004, this knowledge saved the lives of thousands of people.
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‘An old man dies ...a book is lost.'
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This is an African saying. It holds deep meaning. ‘An old man dies... a book is lost'. But in today's world of technology this does not have to be true. Modern methods can help to keep the memory of the past alive. It is much easier to record the stories and wisdom of old people. And this is the purpose of the Jamaican Memory Bank!
Voice 1
The Caribbean is one of the most beautiful parts of the world. And there is a rich cultural mix in this group of islands. However, much of its cultural history is not recorded. To put this right, a small group of people started the Jamaica Memory Bank. Jamaica is one of the largest islands in the Caribbean. The Jamaica Memory Bank began in 1981. Its aim is to rescue some of the knowledge and skills of the past. It seeks to open the memories of old people, so that their knowledge can be passed to future generations.
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Jamaica is divided into fourteen parishes, or areas. Each parish has a team of trained workers. The workers travel around the parish asking people questions, and recording their answers. They record simple answers and whole stories. They also record songs, ceremonies and celebrations. They collect meaningful pictures, writings and films. They take a copy of everything to the Memory bank at the Institute of Jamaica. This is in the capital city, Kingston.
Voice 1
The original recordings were on magnetic tape. Tape decays with time. So in 2003 the Memory Bank began ‘digitising' their collection. They received financial help from UNESCO to copy their whole collection onto computers. This ensures its survival for generations to come. The Memory Bank now issues information on CDs for educational purposes. For example, a recent CD is about the history of religions in Jamaica.
Voice 2
Oral tradition is passing on stories and ideas by word of mouth. Today, many people groups still use the method as a way of passing tradition from old to young. Often, they use poems and songs - because poems and songs are easier to remember. Another device is the story. Experts believe that even parts of the Bible started life by being passed down by word of mouth. Much of Jesus' teaching was in the form of stories that contained teaching about God. These are his famous parables.
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Do you have important stories and wisdom that you would like to share from your culture? What information would you like to pass on to future generations? Write and tell us about them. Our email address is radio @ english . net.
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