During a public forum on Human Rights held at the Ngarachamayong Cultural Center on Wednesday,
Kesolei shared and addressed issues and experiences that he faces every day, taking into consideration traditional and cultural restrictions. He also predicted what kind of media Palau is going to have in the future.
“How media operates in a big setting is really different,” Kesolei said in his presentation. “You cannot apply those in a small country like Palau. There are traditional and cultural realities that we must face.” Being a Palauan, Kesolei said there are some protocols that he should follow.
He quoted a study that says, “Palauan social and family life is governed by a complex system of mutual aid, obligations, and customary exchanges between family and clan members and between clans affiliated through marriage. Important custom surrounds passages in life pregnancy and childbirth, marriage, taking of title, death, and allocation of inheritance. These customs represent the outward manifestations of respect and mutual obligations that bind individuals, families, clans, and villages together…these exchanges… remain a dominant force in Palauan social and economic life.”
Palau has a population of 20,000, including foreigners. But for Kesolei, being a Palauan, he is not really concerned about the foreigners when he is writing. “I’m concerned about the Palauans,” he said. So he deducted 5,000 from that 20,000 to come up with 15,000 Palauans, which he considered the population that the media has to deal with.
“But out of that 15,000, I eliminate 14 year olds and below because most of them don’t really read newspapers,” Kesolei explained. Fifteen year olds and above are what make up the 73 percent of the population that the media in Palau targets. So it comes down to 11,000 Palauans, the common society that the media operates on.
And for that 11,000, Kesolei said, he has no wriggle room. “I have a very little space to move around because as a Palauan reporter, I belong in a village, hamlet, clan, family, and community organizations (traditional and contemporary). I also have employment and social circles.”
Not only that, Kesolei said he has a wife and employer. And both also belong to a village and community organizations.
“It’s tough,” he said. “These are cultural realities. There are a lot of restrictions.”
On the other hand, the media is protected by Fundamental Rights that says, “The government shall take no action to deny or impair the freedom of expression or press. No bona fide reporter may be required by the government to divulge or be jailed for refusal to divulge information obtained in the course of a professional investigation.”
“At the same time, people expect so much from us. So, we have to be able to navigate, negotiate our way around, otherwise you’ll get exorcized,” Kesolei said.
In his presentation, Kesolei said if we merge the restrictions of Palauan cultures and traditions and our fundamental rights to freedom of speech, you have the future of media in Palau, one that is governed by anonimity.
He said media experience will witness spread of information through various platforms to reach more people. But with the diverse source of information through internet technology, like blogs and texting, “A big population media culture will be the new face of media in a small culture like ours,” Kesolei explained.
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