مکالمه ی فعالانه قسمت الف

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART A

HUMAN CARGO AND EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE

This month we’re bringing you some unusual stories related to cargo, boxes, baggage and all the ways we describe the things we carry around with us.

Are we bringing you stories related to cargo, boxes and baggage? Yes, you’re bringing me stories related to cargo, boxes and baggage. Are these unusual stories? Yes, these are unusual stories.

The word ‘cargo’ refers to goods or products carried by trains, planes, and ships.

What does the word cargo refer to? The word ‘cargo’ refers to goods or products carried by trains, planes, and ships.

You might be surprised to learn that it’s also central to a unique religion, which has been nicknamed a cargo cult.

Is cargo central to a unique religion? Yes, cargo is central to a unique religion. What has this unique religion been nicknamed? This unique religion has been nicknamed a cargo cult.

The cargo cult of Vanuatu began in the South Pacific in the 1930s.

Where did the cargo cult of Vanuatu begin? The cargo cult of Vanuatu began in the South Pacific.

When did it begin? It began in the 1930s.

By this time, the people of Vanuatu had suffered years of oppression by European colonialists and missionaries.

Were the people of Vanuatu oppressed by Asian colonists? No, they weren’t oppressed by Asian colonists. They were oppressed by European colonists.

It was in this context of foreign oppression that a messiah appeared.

Was it a context of oppression? Yes, it was a context of oppression.

Like many religions, there are conflicting stories.

Is there one story? No, there isn’t one story. There are conflicting stories.

According to one version, in the late 1930s, a shaman entered the woods and drank tea from the hallucinogenic plant kava.

Did the shaman drink kava? Yes, the shaman drank kava. Who drank kava? The shaman drank kava.

He returned with a message from a new god named John Frum.

Who returned with a message from a new god? The shaman returned with a message from a new god. What was the new god’s name? The new god’s name was John Frum.

John Frum was coming to the island and would send the white Europeans away and give them wealth and modern goods.

Who was coming to the island? John Frum was coming to the island. What would he do to the white Europeans? He would send the white Europeans away. What would he give them? He would give them wealth and modern goods.

Then, shortly after the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, 30,000 US soldiers arrived on Vanuatu.

When did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor? The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. How many US soldiers arrived in Vanuatu? Thirty thousand soldiers arrived in Vanuatu.

These new visitors were different. They were friendly, gave the people of Vanuatu well-paying jobs, and didn’t try to convert them to the white man’s religion.

Were the new visitors friendly? Yes, the new visitors were friendly. What did they give the people of Vanuatu? They gave the people of Vanuatu well-paying jobs. What didn’t they do? They didn’t try to convert them to the white man’s religion.

Amazingly, some of them weren’t even white.

Were all the US soldiers white? No, all of the US soldiers weren’t white.

The Vanuatu had no knowledge of the US history of racism, and they were amazed to see dark skinned men enjoying a lifestyle of wealth.

Did the Vanuatu have any knowledge of the US history of racism? No, the Vanuatu had no knowledge of the US history of racism. What were they amazed to see? They were amazed to see dark skinned men enjoying a lifestyle of wealth.

Even stranger, these US soldiers seemed to do no real work, but they were rich beyond belief.

Did the soldiers seem to work hard? No, they didn’t seem to work hard. They seemed to do no real work. Were they rich beyond belief? Well, they seemed rich beyond belief.

They didn’t grow anything, and they didn’t build or make anything, but they had medicine, telephones, electricity, jeeps and refrigerators.

What did they grow? They didn’t grow anything. What did they build? They didn’t build anything. Did they have medicine, telephones and electricity? Yes, they had medicine, telephones and electricity.

What else did they have? They also had jeeps and refrigerators.

They had strange rituals like unfolding colored pieces of fabric and putting them high on poles in the morning and bringing them down again at night.

Where did they put the colored pieces of fabric in the morning? They put the colored pieces of fabric high on poles in the morning. What did they do at night? They brought them down at night.

They marched around in matching clothes.

What kind of clothes did they wear? They wore matching clothes.

They moved papers across desks.

What did they do with papers? They moved papers across desks.

And the gods rewarded them for their strange rituals.

Were they rewarded for their strange rituals? Yes, they were rewarded for their strange rituals.

Boxes with parachutes amazingly floated down from the sky with all types of modern wonders.

What floated down from the sky? Boxes with parachutes floated down from the sky. What was inside the boxes? There were all types of modern wonders inside.

After the war when the US left, the John Frum followers copied the rituals of the US soldiers.

What did the John Frum followers do? The John Frum followers copied the rituals of the US soldiers.

They made flags with stars and stripes and put them on poles.

What kind of flags did they make? They made flags with stars and stripes. What did they do with the flags? They put them on poles.

They cleared plants and trees in the jungle to make airstrips.

What did they clear in the jungle? They cleared plants and trees in the jungle. Why did they do that?

They did that to make airstrips.

They carved headphones out of coconuts.

How did they make headphones? They carved headphones out of coconuts.

They made mock rifles from sticks and marched around with USA painted on their chests.

What did they use for rifles? They used sticks for rifles. What did they paint on their chests? They painted USA on their chests.

They did everything they could to bring the US magic from the skies, but nothing came.

What did they want to bring from the sky? They wanted to bring the US magic from the sky. And what happened? Nothing happened.