2014
PALAU
2014
Palau is one of Japan’s direct neighbors to the south. The two countries enjoy a close relationship, having always cooperated through international organizations like the United Nations, as well as on various issues such as whaling. Their friendship is based on deep economic ties and long historical bonds.
After World War I, Japan took over administration of Germany’s former colonies in the Pacific Islands until the end of World War II.
During that time, the South Seas Bureau was established in Koror, Palau. Tens of thousands of Japanese people lived on the islands, engaging in various industries, including agriculture, fishing, and aquaculture. Due to this, a Japanese influence is still visible today in Palau’s language and culture. Moreover, even after the war, many Japanese people have stayed active in Palau, including the late Kuniwo Nakamura, who was President at the time of independence in the country. With the generation that remembers Japanese colonial rule growing older, it is becoming an important issue to maintain the cultural ties between Japan and Palau (cited from the Japanese Embassy in the Republic of Palau website).
Palau is a tourism-oriented country and while many Japanese had been visiting every year, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted this and the number of tourists is currently on the decline. This year, 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Palau. Based on this, we planned this mural project as a way to create a mural that connects both countries.
This time we will be painting murals at Palau International Airport, the only such airport in the country. It has deep ties with Japan as it was built as an air base by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1944. After the war, it became a civilian airport and while a terminal building was completed in 1984, it became too small, so in March 2003 a new terminal was opened with grant aid from the Japanese government. Since 2019, Japanese companies have participated in the operation of the airport. We plan to create two murals at the site, one in the departure lobby and one in the arrival lobby, so that everyone who visits Palau International Airport will be able to see them.
There is a legend in Palau that goes like this.
Once, there was a giant clam shell in the middle of the ocean. Within that clam shell lived a small shrimp-like creature called Latmikaik, the clam mother goddess. Latmikaik created many creatures in the ocean, including people who could live both in the sea and on land. Her children piled up sand and created a small island in the middle of the ocean. After that, she had three more children, one of whom lived in the sky. The other two children were sent to the small island. One of those goddess’ children was called Uab. Uab was very large right from when he was born and he grew and grew until he threatened to eat all the food on the island. The suffering villagers therefore decided that they had to kill him. His mother cried, but knowing that the villagers would die otherwise, she agreed. So the villagers cut him up with a large ax. The various pieces of his body each became an island and formed what is now Palau.
(The mural image will be kindly overseen and approved by the Palau Bureau of Cultural and Historical Preservation.)
I was inspired by this legend to paint a scene centered around the three gods arriving on the first island of the clam mother, with a large Over the Wall sun overhead. Around the sun are the flags of the 16 states that make up Palau. Over the Wall’s concept is that the whole world lives under the same sun and so this time the mural features the same sun that has appeared in all the previous murals. Here the sun has been made yellow to evoke the image of the Palauan flag. The Palauan flag symbolizes the sea and the moon and when this mural is viewed from afar, it resembles the country’s flag.
There is a tradition in Palau to paint pictures of fish in various places. Many are painted on Palauan Bai traditional houses and some can also be found in murals on the Capitol Building, still in use today. This time, we would like the local children to draw this familiar motif of sea creatures and include them in the mural.
Each year, along with creating a permanent mural for the project country, Over the Wall also makes a flag to be given to the children of the next country where the project will be held.At the previous location, Palau, the local children made a flag to pass on to the children of Netherlands. In, we worked together with children in Palau to create a flag that will travel on to Netherlands., the location of the next project.
Mornings in Palau begin with the piercing crowing of roosters. Our Honda, corroded by saltwater, has a customized exhaust with a similar screech. As we slowly make our way along the uneven, unpaved street, the neighborhood dogs come toward us as usual. Minuk moves them out of the way, skillfully steering around them. Finally we reach the end of this bumpy lane and join the main road, now having to make sure to avoid coconuts that have fallen in yesterday’s storm. The sun is shining this morning, the first time in a while that it has, and as we take a sharp right turn, the emerald green sea comes into view. We park the car just after crossing the KG Bridge. The weak yen plus a tight budget means it is our routine to buy a $3 bento at Save More, the cheapest store in the area. Tonkatsu, curry, karaage fried chicken – Japanese food is still commonly eaten in Palau.
“Alii!” Hello!
The staff members call out to us when we arrive at the airport. They showed little interest at the start, but we are slowly becoming friends. Sometimes they put aside their work and come to chat, obviously wanting to know how the murals are coming along.
“You have to add Napoleon fish!”
“Mahi-mahi is seriously delicious!”
They have an astounding knowledge of fish. They were even able to name most of the
80-plus species of fish that the children drew. Just like the Maasai we met during our visit to Kenya exactly a year ago, they are well acquainted with the creatures that exist around them. They naturally learn the knowledge needed to be able to live in that place.
The mural this time was part of a commemorative project for the 30th anniversary of Japan-Palau diplomatic relations and was chosen to be painted at Palau International Airport, which has deep Japanese connections. The themes we chose were Palau’s rich marine life and Palauan legends. We wanted to create a mural at the airport, the gateway to the country, that conveyed the extensive charm of Palau and we worked with the Palauan government on the design. However, when I actually started the work, | felt some slight confusion. Up to now, the Over the Wall project themes have been how to encourage people to persevere in difficult circumstances and I have painted with the faces of the people I want to make smile in mind. This time though, those faces did not come to mind. Completing the murals at the two locations within the airport, the departure gate and arrival gate, measuring 30 meters in total, took four weeks, but it was the project with the least interaction with people.
The airport is not a place visited on a daily basis, so the murals could not be said to be part of people’s daily lives. However, toward completion, we noticed tourists who had checked in were pointing out the fish in the mural and remembering their trip to Palau. We were saw Palauans who had been waiting for their family members to arrive home taking commemorative photos together in front of the mural. I came to realize that this mural is both the first and last memory for people visiting this country. The majority of the children who helped create the murals this time will leave Palau in the future. This is because this country, with its population of only 18,000, has little industry. I imagined them returning to Palau someday and being able to see the mural they had painted as a child and it made me realize its significance.
On seeing our work, the President of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr., said
“Thank you for creating these wonderful murals for Palau. They embody everything about Palau.”
It was at that moment I could clearly see all the faces of the people I wanted to make smile.
August 8 2024
Over the Wall – A Global Mural Project
Artist: Kensuke Miyazaki
Project Period ： July 2 – 29 2024
© Over the Wall