
I
am pleased to extend to you a hearty welcome to our website which
centers on the American territory of Guam in the Western Pacific,
virtually on the other side of the world from our nation's capital,
Washington, D.C.
Since
the turn of the century, Guam has served as America's turnstile to
Asia in the Pacific Rim, where America's days begin. Thanks to the
World Wide Web, information about Guam - geography, history, climate,
population, political system, government, and business opportunities
- is readily available from a variety of sources on the
Internet.
Bisita
Guam offers additional information from the perspective of a
native Chamorro who reflects on events and circumstances that have
markedly affected his people culturally, linguistically, and
religiously, among other things. Bisita Guam, which
means, Visit Guam, takes the viewer through randomly selected
episodes that project an entirely different dimension of our
territory and our people from the usual dosage one gets from texts
and tales of transients on their way elsewhere.
Bisita
Guam revolves primarily on the original native population,
the Chamorros, their culture, their language, and their religious
beliefs. It spans a large segment of history, from the days of
European contact with Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, through the days of
Spanish rulership for over 350 years, the Spanish - American War, and
the Japanese occupation in World War II, up to the present time. Its
primary goal is to sharpen the focus on those things that are
important to our people with the hope that it would rekindle interest
on the need to protect and preserve our precious natural and cultural
resources. Its secondary goal is to provide those interested in
knowing more about us with a glimpse of our beautiful and bountiful
island through the eyes of one of her native sons.
Bisita
Guam is the name of this website and the main title of a
trilogy of stories about Guam and its people:
Part
I: a series of television shows consisting of 27 episodes of
Nihi Ta Bisita (Let Us Visit) which focuses on
the culture, history, and language of Guam -- and Nihi Ta
Hasso (Let Us Remember) which centers on the occupation
of Guam by enemy forces and its liberation during World War II.
(Episode 32 of this website provides details about these two TV
series);
Part
II: is this website < bisitaguam.com >
which has over thirty episodes. It is a 'living' website to
which are added additional episodes which have currency and relevancy
to the history of Guam; and,
Part
III: is a book, entitled Bisita Guam: A Special Place
in the Sun.
The
Bisita Guam trilogy is written and produced by
Vicente (Ben) Blaz, a retired general officer of the U.S. Marines,
and a former Member of the U.S. Congress (1985-1993).
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© Copyright, Bisita Guam (Ben Blaz)