Guiding principles
The oppression of the “or” and the liberation of the “and.” This is a thought that was shared to me by a Samoan high chief many years ago.
It once again came to me as I read the vision and the path of I Ola Wailuanui, the nonprofit that is seeking to develop and maintain a Hawaiian cultural center at the site of the Coco Palms.
As one of the members of the Coco Palms Cultural Advisory Committee (CPCAC), we worked with the former developers, Greenewaters Group, to develop a set of guiding principles that honored the site and its sense of place. These guiding principles were formally agreed upon by the developers and shared with the County Council at that time, as well as at multiple community meetings.
The CPCAC worked with the developers to carve out space on the property and create a cultural center that would encompass all of the programs and activities this new group envisions.
The center would be managed by a nonprofit entity and sustained by a portion of the customer resort fees.
It is estimated that it would cost between $25-$50 million just for the property and potentially millions more to clear the land, construct and maintain the center, and operate it. Where will these funds come from?
I suggest that we remove the oppressive “or” by believing that the site needs to be either a resort or a cultural center and liberate ourselves by supporting an entity that can operate as a resort and sustain a vibrant cultural piko that honors our host culture’s past, present and future.
Dirk Soma, Lihu‘e
