Head of State breaks down walls in Berlin

The Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta'isi Efi, has won widespread praise in Germany at the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

His Highness Tui Atua joined an esteemed line up of speakers from all over the globe during a conference on the theme: “A World without Walls: Opportunities for Peace Building in a time of Global Insecurity.”

The conference being held this week is part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations, which has fallen in the same year marking 100 years since Germany’s colonial administration of Samoa came to an end.

The Head of State addressed the conference yesterday. His paper was titled “A World without Walls.”

According to the Head of State, “A world without walls seems to demand the right to self-determination."

“It seems to assume for individuals, groups and nations the freedom and capacity to determine for themselves, in responsible ways, where they want to go, when, how, with whom and for what purpose,” he said.

“The right to self-determination is considered a core principle of international law and is protected by the United Nations Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

“But such rights or freedoms and the instruments or conventions that protect them are not worth anything if people do not recognise and give effect to them. Furthermore such rights and freedoms do not exist in a vacuum. They exist alongside duties and responsibilities. Given this what would it mean to live in a world without walls? And are walls really something we can live without?”

His Highness Tui Atua told the gathering that one of the great walls that imposes on the current global equation is the "assumption that there is a universal truth that usurps all truths; that ultimately there is only one justice, one law for all; one way of knowing, one way of being."

“Revealing the arrogance of this assumption is at the heart of a call for cultural democracy,” he said. “Like the walls we have been discussing, cultural diversity is both a strength and a weakness.

“Being able to listen to the story of Tapuitea from beginning to end without squirming and to be able to draw out the general messages or principles and still appreciate the cultural idioms it holds requires an openness to cultural diversity."

“Being open to learning new languages is key to appreciating cultural diversity. Being able to hear about past injustices without judging or wanting revenge is also an important part of knowing cultural diversity. All of these aspects of cultural diversity are prioritised within cultural democracy. But a culturally democratic world is not necessarily a world without walls."

“For me a culturally democratic world is a world that redeems a lost humility."

“It is a world that shares in a commitment to a global ethic that can protect (puipui) ourselves and our homes from harm; and that can openly strengthen those freedoms and responsibilities that allow for human diversity to flower naturally, in ways that 'naturalise' and 'humanise' us without oppressive constraint."

“It is a world that sees the irony, humour and reality of an often told scene that happened at the Berlin Wall when it came down. Here the West Germans, who were standing at their side of the wall filled with emotion and engaged in solemn prayers, were upon the fall immediately perplexed when confronted by rushing crowds from the East who wanted to know: "Where can I find a departmental store?"

“And, finally, it is a world that can appreciate the wisdom of one of my favourite sayings, uttered by one of my favourite American actresses Meryl Streep, when she played the Iron Lady, the late Margaret Thatcher, when Margaret recites the saying passed on to her by her father:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words;
Watch your words, for they become actions;
Watch your actions, for they become habits;
Watch your habits, for they become your character;
And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny;
What we think, we become.

“So what does it mean to celebrate 25 years since the coming down of the Berlin Wall? For me it means two things."

“First, it means celebrating triumph over oppression. For it is always good to be reminded that human goodness can indeed triumph over despair and humiliation. And, second, it means celebrating the joys of knowing that we have watched our thoughts, we have watched our words, we have watched our actions, our habits, and our character, and we can go to sleep knowing that our destinies have become much better for it.”

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 led to far-reaching changes in the world’s political, economic and cultural landscape and the implications of this historic event still echo through time to current global events.

His Highness Tui Atua’s paper was well received by conference participants who were touched by its profound message of finding forgiveness and humility in order to restore balance.

His Highness Tui Atua’s paper will be published in full on the Sunday Samoan.