At the beginning of October 2022, the Island of Rapa Nui suffered a violent fire that affected the Rapa Nui Park, especially the Moai quarry, where more than 100 hectares were consumed by fire and more than 120 moais were damaged.
To date, there is no complete clarity on the state of the moais, since no trained scientists have traveled to identify the depth of the damage, a situation that worries the mayor, Pedro Edmunds Paoa.
in conversation with the Investigation Unit of Radio Bío Bíothe mayor of the island explains what happened, the little information they have about the real damage and the lack of help from the central authority.
– How many hectares were consumed by the fire?
We had a fire in the month of October, like all those in our country caused by someone, which consumed a little more than 100 hectares of the park. When I say park, it happened to carry the most emblematic site of the Rapa Nui Park, which is the Moai quarry.
– How many moais were burned?
Mainly those that are inside the volcano, a little more than 120 moais were directly affected. The fire damaged them, we think a lot.
– Why do you say we believe?
When I say we believe, it is because we are still waiting for help to fully understand what happened and what the extent of the damage is, because this has to be done with specialists and equipment that the Island does not have. Then the magnitude of the damage and detriment of this fire is not known.
– After the fire occurred, did you receive any calls from the central authority?
The truth is that with the years that I have been mayor one already has ears everywhere. I hear from all the governments that ‘Rapa Nui is a piece of shit’. It is a pity that we have not heard of the situation that we live here. We are a commune of Chile, which is the most remote of all, the most emblematic, the one that cares for the image of Chile and cleans it, we are an image filter. However, when we have conflicts, situations tell us that we are a piece and that is currently said in La Moneda.
– Is that what you felt after not receiving help?
That is what I hear and have heard from the last 7 governments. It’s a shame because if you don’t raise your voice, they think everything is fine. If you raise your voice, they say we’re troublemakers. What do you want me to do?
– But is there some kind of communication?
To this day there is no answer. There are no voices, there is no communication. There is nothing that says that it is going to be done, how we are going to finance it, what scientists we are going to hire, how we are going to assess the damage and how we are going to reach out to those who are currently managing the park for us. It’s not the State, it’s individuals, a private indigenous company, but that’s not why the State has to throw it away.
Damage to the moai
– What is the most urgent thing to be clear about the damage to the moais?
I would like President Boric to call me on the phone and ask me that question. I’m already flat talking to shoddy officials. I don’t want to talk to minor officials, I want to talk to him.
– What do you want to ask?
As it is a centralist, presidential country, the President rules. I want him to call me and tell me what help he is going to give us for this commune of Chileans, of 8,000 Chileans. This fire came to harm the image of Chile, because a moai is the image of Chile, we are the ones who clean up the image of Chile and that must be taken care of. I want President Boric to pick up the phone and call me, and that they stop their walls and their officials from saying that Rapa Nui is a piece of shit.
– The longer it takes for help to arrive, does it affect the state of the moais?
I don’t have that knowledge of science. But in all these decades, scientists have arrived, in a particular way, and they have illustrated to us what is the damage or extreme damage that time, rain, wind, tourism itself, touching the stones causes in the moais. However, if we accelerate it with fire, it heats it up and cracks it, it breaks it. In the case of the moai stone, this has probably happened to it, but you can’t see it. So, this must be analyzed quickly to see what measure we take to better protect it and that it lasts over time, because first, if we don’t know what it has, we don’t take the measures, which the scientists have told us, which will help speed up that the stone becomes sand.
– Has the Ministry of National Assets contacted you?
No. National Assets is muddy in Rapa Nui. The great conflicts of Rapa Nui have been created by that portfolio. Historically. They have no idea how they are going to solve it, they don’t have the experience and they don’t know.
– How do you evaluate the actions of the government?
I already gave the recipe to this government before it was a government. With my experience in public administration, I spoke with the then presidential candidate, Gabriel Boric, through his advisers. I explained the situation on the island, I made a diagnosis of what he has and how to solve it. He promised to solve it. Well, like all presidents when they take office, he forgot about commitments. This is the same. I say it frankly and squarely: he is a liar. He told us that he was going to lend us a hand, he told us that he was going to help us because we explained to him the problem that the island has, but he simply remained silent.
Dump
– What other issues concern you on the island?
I have a landfill that has been on fire for a year and a half. I have no way to turn it off. This is like a little Santa Marta but no one has paid attention.
– But does the central authority know about this?
No one has paid attention, I don’t have any visit from the competent authority to tell me what to do, if resources have to be invested in it, if know-how is necessary, people who have experience to stop it. Nothing. This is going to be worse than the moais because this damages the international image. Everything that Chile is building in the different COPs, the world mitigation meetings, is going to go to hell with this image. But they’re not paying attention because they don’t have the experience. They don’t see and those of us who have the experience explain it to them but they don’t listen.
– What do you think is going on?
They don’t want to understand that this is chiche chiche, it’s the best thing that Chile’s image has. Therefore, it is where you have to put the chips, you have to take care of it, you have to protect it because it brings us revenue.
– Revenues like what?
Particularly in the times we are living in today. The famous “bonds” we are going to stop buying and put chips in black bonds: oil, everything that is extractive. Globally the chips are being put into green and blue bonds. In terms of blue bonds, Rapa Nui has a lot to contribute to Chile and they are not seeing this as a benefit for the country. They see a part that is extractive but not litigative, that must be protected and cared for. It has many conflicts of abandonment, Chile has abandoned us for many decades. There has not been a president who understands the issue of Rapa Nui well and who says that she is going to put her chips here.