Our World - St Helena - An End to Isolation

santolina one of the world's most remote islands this small rock once played a pivotal role as a staging post in the expansion of the British Empire it's mainly remembered now as the place where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled it is home to 4,000 centrally nians or saints as they call themselves they're the descendants of sailors settlers and slaves who began arriving on the island 350 years ago saintliness the place is okay but you have to look after the people it's the people that matters sometimes I think we do feel left behind but everything on this island is about to change in 2011 the British government announced a construction of an airport incentive 'inna it's going to change the Islanders way of life forever we are centrally nians have this big box in front of us but they're gift-wrapped all around it slowly the gift wraps me taken off and we still don't know yet what's what's right inside that box it's hoped the airport will pave the way for economic growth based on tourism and end the islands dependence on the UK just months before the first plane lands ending 350 years of isolation our world explorer sent Elena's hopes and fears for its future [Music] the Royal Mail ship santolina also known as the RMS is today the only way to and from the island almost halfway between South America and Africa sent Alina is a tiny dot in the South Atlantic Ocean MMS 16 kilometres long and 10 kilometers wide Cape Town is five days away by boat there are no mobile phones and no credit cards the ship goes to st. Adina every three weeks we're on a three-week cycle from Cape Town it carries all the food and all the all the air materials for building well it carries everything under than petrol so it is so central to the island until the Aden Gates's Airport we are the only link this ship is actually it's subsidized by the British government to service st. Nina you can call it like a last bus that last bus must run because it's got to take some people home that go change Lena will never be isolated again st. Annina loses his isolation when the airplane this is senator community radio the people station at its best hello I'm Tony Leo and I'm here again just after seven days which really seemed like 24 hours nevermind our unique little island will soon be a part of the bigger world but the aim to attract something like 30,000 business per year will have to ensure that what little we have here is protected once an airplane lands on the strip our isolation will be well I guess pretty much over soon it'll only take us five hours from here to Cape Town rather than the five days now on the ship the ship anchored at nine o'clock three rivers and for me it's just you know that's all I see there's being being home we are protected in a way it still got a community really my friend and my mom won't bored yourself yes okay but you got family deity hey mommy how you doing good good far as I'm concerned this was the backhoe certainly it was the ground for many years and then television change a big thing in santolina all of a sudden you had all of these images being beamed right into your signal in effect sound like you remember when the vaadwaur have me down and I into my history and following all of those things all of a sudden you could actually see it in that falling in front of your eyes if you look at st. Elena after the stating postman in 1834 the Army's hand back to the British government the Arden muscle with its money from the East India Company and it was real poverty the more educated business minded people will emigrated to South Africa and left behind was just the poor people the ones who couldn't go no further we praise you for the sea and the fruits of its harvest that's the fishermen and those who work in the fishing industry keep them safe from the perils of the sea santolina is reliant on aid each year the island receives on average 40 million dollars from the United Kingdom there is full employment but 70% of the population works for government and wages are low while the cost of goods is high I thought this is our little island of paradise you know you only can get here one way by the our mess I'm a single mum to three children one in the UK and I have two girls there the father died six years ago so we're full-time it's not sufficient unfortunately most of the time you end up it is maybe a near payday and you're struggling you know to cope for the next couple of weeks or whatever [Music] with a price tag of nearly 400 million dollars sent Elena's Airport is a huge investment by the British government [Music] [Applause] [Music] the ultimate aim is that the airport will end the reliance on British aid and help the island develop a self-sustaining economy one that doesn't damage the island sense of community or the environment but many Saints feel anxious about the future is worried we're gone people are not very happy at the moment instead of us being happy now with the airport and all feeling that we're going to we don't I don't think that's a general feeling on the island at the moment the idea of it all is to try and come to a point where we can all maybe work together and achieve the best for st. alina and its people but I I'm sure there's a price for for development it doesn't come cheap it won't come easy you have to pay a price britain's not going to put an airport in year four plus four two three four hundred million pounds and then we live the same old way we did twenty thirty years ago they want changes is coming people feel as though they're not being listened to and it makes you angry and then when you say something that contrary to what being presented to you oh you being negative they don't like me you say this you sell the island to the highest bidder and that what which don't work must go by the way it's collateral I think it happens all over the world that they will stand right yellow option gold I look you say bye-bye everybody bye-bye going up water not Oh see the cleaner just a pickerel upon us up heroes what two days of sweet we've had to pull back something I know where else in the world you right yeah go into a florist in London UK about five pounds for each once you learn to live with this kind of thing of isolation I always can remember in the 90s when my son was gonna get married in America he gave us a whole year he said mom I'm getting married next January I said okay we'll be there but our passage what happened oh I'm s breakdown good girl so it didn't never never weigh enough to see it seemed that marathon time say that it do make you wanna scream oh my husband was ill for many years and and he suffered a lot of pain so many died I thought to myself I'd just have something in memory and also to go through a little pain myself the thing is that saintly and it's so expensive to get off you know and you you just miss your family it is I find it hard when my kids were growing up because my husband had good position he was in charge of customs he was in charge income tax he had all those jobs which don't make you very popular it's hard and then the children gets got at by other children you know and this is why I know one of my sons will never come back here never my main function at the moment is being a lay applicant I am licensed to quarterback and to advise people on legal matters I am very Pro Airport because people are leaving and I've returning this was the only development I thought that would actually quench that thirst to leave the island and hopefully bring our Saints back you know in 1981 Santa lenience lost their UK citizenship it was withdrawn by Margaret Thatcher's government in 2002 it was restored but since then a fifth of Islanders mostly of working-age have left Santa Lena in search of a better life in the UK now before we get started this 7 minutes if this person is in town a bike has been found in the Queen Mary store and it's a thoughts carrier bike and in that bag is five boxes of dinosaur chocolates now I'm not entirely sure what dinosaur chocolates are but they'll soon find out because if nobody else collects it will get simply to round up the in collecting them back well if there's anybody missing a thought carrier bag with five boxes of dinosaur chocolates it's at the Queen Mary store they're open until 8:30 this evening so if you're not in town and you can't head to the Queen Mary in the next say six minutes then they'll be there for you on Monday so thank you Andy Cho for calling dance again [Music] today st. Lena world-famous but for the wrong reason will lead an investigation into an alleged police and government conspiracy to cover up the widespread sexual exploitation of girls on territory as santolina is starting to open up some deeply hidden issues are rising to the surface two years ago a report by a UK charity the Lucy faithful foundation revealed that there were problems on the island relating to adult sexual exploitation of minors our nails attitudes women if anything happened you had nobody to talk to you it nobody because you didn't go home tell your mom because she wouldn't believe it everything in the garden wasn't always green well it did happen but that is the problem with this hydrant it's been too much haven't slept under the counter I heard recent stories about Trevor you will not believe the corruption you won't believe this was and now another Saint Alina you will not believe it then the Lucy faithful reporting destruction I can't remember hearing counselors saying things like oh no that would never happen here in st. Lina because we all one big community and I used to say then you know you live it in kuku then people didn't want to say it now I suppose can you blame him because oh well more troubled you know and it could be relations as well you know we all got cousins aunties and uncles and brothers and sisters and I spill the beans I think what some people couldn't come to terms why make such a fuss of Saint Nina when years ago you know nobody burnt the publication of the report into sexual exploitation and the accompanying news coverage sent shockwaves throughout this small South Atlantic community it since been claimed that some government agencies tried to cover up the allegations a senior UK lawyer is now leading an independent inquiry to establish what really went on in this small community I feel struggling for a very long time trying to cope with bringing up my children trying to keep the roof over my head and food on the table well the plan is to go to the Falklands and then possibly stay there for a year I think it is time that I need to try and change our way of living and try and make things a bit better for ourselves it ain't gonna be easy leaving them but I think offshore employment and see a knock you men T in Jamestown just died really so I've seen major changes and as a result of those changes a lot of social consequences you know you see the breakdown of families tiny you gotta fight about that yes my dad tender-back on the ship for the last 20 years my mum would recommend Falklands without making a sound let mum and dad was bad people because they were just trying to get their lives back together again I find it as you grow you really do need a love of appearance' you really do need that because you will need to be guided and natura through certain stages in life health and social services on santolina are under severe strain cancer diabetes and hypertension rates are high but resources are scarce and treatment possibilities limited each month several patients have to be sent to Cape Town for treatment sometimes they don't survive the journey something it's hoped the opening of the airport will change but you get a company overseas company just talked about putting up lodges bringing in wanted to stop cross folks you know for real posh just and the other they've been out looking at everybody they want to bullies largest fishing lodges and stuff and right away how people die hey what's going on here what about us can we compete with you in the meantime we have a hospital up there that doesn't have an x-ray machine in it I thought probably have it now strip will come back there there are so many issues with the hospital and our health services goes on the zones are unbelievable that you some of the things you yeah yet we're gonna bring 30,000 tourists in a year to - we can't feed the irrelevant enough fish a couple of years ago we had no water on the island we were going to a drought serious drug I still worry about the fact that we are disillusioned yourself sometimes we believe things that that won't really happen it won't really happen and and that is gonna be the impact [Music] they think that the airport's going to create a lot opportunity and young people are going to stay for what make the bids not own drive the taxis shoot floors which we all call me Chiefs and the people young people will still go away and stay away and at the same time let's not forget this there are other people outside who will also believe this potentially they would big money who will come in and set up their own businesses and we may not be able to compete [Music] [Music] [Music] history is the city cannot make the same mistake we won't shouldn't make the same mistake you know it's not the edges telling a wonderful story in the past human beings will will make the same mistakes at time sometimes God you got no other choice you know and that is not a mistake that is a conscious decision to go this route because we have no other alternative what we don't want to see is a return at the expense of Isis as a sin lenient you know otherwise the most endangered species on the panel will be seventy hits Buddhist tired [Music] it's them from the old colonial days we have we've had to be so subservient so people didn't have the confidence to speak I think we have to be able to be more confident and believe in ourselves but with the best will in the world you know who would know what is best for st. Karina other than people itself but we so badly need is people being vocal and coming forward and and speaking for what they believe it whether it is right or wrong you know that's immaterial that if if they just voice how they feel [Music] when it was fast plan to have an airport I wasn't for it I thought that it would spoil a Thailand but then it has it that one is just as well the only thing that makes me want the airport now is quick access for me or my son [Music] when ship go out and you go down the seaside with people and they watching the ship though and you can see the look on your face you know we're left they're gone and they've left us all behind I've been to the Caribbean and I've seen how it works there you know there are a lot of people who become in the lower bracket almost immediately after the big development so I wouldn't want to see that happen here I just hope that everybody will get a share of the cake if I can help in any way as an Islander to make it better and I will I will do everything I can to help other people help you know set it all up and if the fishing industry can benefit from it I will work hard towards towards achieving that we've taken around our shoulders we must be seen to reform this island and stop depending on British aid and if we if we we took the apron on that basis then we must all pull our fingers out and get on with it [Music] no one knows what tomorrow will in terms of the future there are three kinds of people let it happen make it happen and those who wonder what happened which one and I'll be back at the same time next week on your dial bye-bye although the government of santolina says it's trying to improve the lives of saints since the construction of the airport began the price of land and goods has gone up and inequality is starting to grow so well the end of Santa Lena's isolation also mean the end of this islands unique and strong sense of community [Music] [Music] you

Channel: jpgreenwood

Views: 214,696

Rating: 4.8133936 out of 5

Keywords: St Helena Island

Id: 57XP6g_G9xU

Length: 23min 0sec (1380 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 21 2015