Page 10 - Islands Business March 2024

Nuclear Legacy Nuclear Legacy

Alson Kelen, Commonissioner of the RMI National Nuclear Commission

“WHEN ARE WE GOING BACK?”

NUCLEAR DISPLACEMENT IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

By Nic Maclellan, from Majuro, Marshall Islands the 67 US nuclear tests conducted on Bikini and Enewetak
atolls in the 20th Century.
Gina Langinbelik Anuntak is a student at the College of the “The survivors are really fragile, because most of our
Marshall Islands (CMI). She is President of the CMI Nuclear grandparents went through it,” she said. “They do talk about
Club, a student association that unites Marshallese students how scared they were, and some have nightmares about the
to understand the legacies of the 20th Century US nuclear unexpected events. When we visit people exiled from Bikini,
testing. Enewetak, Rongelap or Utirik, we see how much they were
“We want to learn about the nuclear history that we were affected by it. It’s hard for them to talk about it, but they
never taught when we were kids,” Anuntak said. “The Nuclear want to be heard. They want us to learn about our history and
Club goes out to visit the survivors in our families, interview continue advocating and educating our generation and younger
them, talk with them and get to know them. It’s always kids.”
hurtful to hear their sad stories, but they just smile and say, ‘It For the descendants of nuclear survivors, the trauma of
happened.’” displacement and illness resonates across the years.
The college students work with local NGOs, church groups, As the first generation of survivors age and die, subsequent
and the RMI National Nuclear Commission to raise awareness generations of Marshallese are grappling with the legacies of
amongst younger Marshallese. They organise art exhibitions, the past, and it hurts. With sadness, Anuntak acknowledged
run a weekly radio show, and contribute to citizen science that some Marshallese were uncomfortable about engaging
programs (such as monitoring water supplies). with this history.
Showing a picture of her great-grandmother, Anuntak said “When I was a young girl, my great-grandmother would
that many CMI students have family members who witnessed always try to tell us stories about this time, but we were

10 Islands Business, March 2024