Indigenous People vs Capitalism - Should Lahaina Be Opened To Tourists?

Itʻs been less than 2 months since fires destroyed the historical town of Lahaina. On Aug 8, thousands of Maui residents lost their homes and everything they own. Many are living out of cars or hopping from temporary hotel rooms - if theyʻre fortunate enough to have either of those at all. Suicide rates are up - along with disaster tourism where many tourists are more concerned about taking pictures of the aftermath than helping those in need. Organizations such as Red Cross and FEMA continue to fall short in their efforts to deploy aid to Lahaina. And yet, plans to reopen Lahaina to tourism on Sunday Oct 8 reinforces the viewpoint that those in power care about money over people, no matter the cost.

In this episode, weʻll talk about what’s REALLY going on in Maui and why our community continues to suffer even though the events have disappeared from the national news cycle.

Hear from our guests: 

Pauahi Souza - Kanaka Researcher, Activist, Organizer

Jazzy Vanover - Photographer, Creative Director

Aaron Kahoʻonei - Kanaka Firefighter and Alakaʻi for Hoʻakā Mana

Hosted by Moana McAdams - Founder of the Moana Nui Podcast, Author, NHPI Champion, Cultural Consultant

This episode is brought to you with sponsorship from Papa Ola Lōkahi.https://www.papaolalokahi.org/

Donations to help Maui families through Hoʻakā Mana can be made at http://www.hoakamana.org. All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of the funding goes toward supporting community programs. 

Follow the Moana Nui Podcast:

http://www.moananuipodcast.com

Information Contact: moananuipodcast@gmail.com

About Moana Nui Podcast:

Moana Nui Podcast is a storytelling podcast to celebrate and honor the history, culture, & perspectives of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, POC, indigenous, and African Diasporan peoples.

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