Fifteen Years of Ash: A Story of Survival, Hope and Persistence One of the most beautiful places in the South Pacific, and an extremely popular tourist destination, was Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. That was until September of 1994, when the town was destroyed by a volcanic eruption that sent ash thousands of feet into the air; coated streets, fields and buildings; and ultimately collapsed more than three-fourths of the structures in Rabaul, Fifteen years later, people still live in the ruins of their former lives, with the hope that one day Rabaul will once again become the paradise it once was. I have made several trips to Rabaul to document the residents as they live beneath the still-threatening Tarvuvur volcano. I propose that a National Geographic article tell the story of not just the destruction caused by the eruption, but also of the hope, persistence and resilience of the people and the wildlife of Rabaul. The Matupit Islanders live less then 2km away from the volcano, which has destroyed their livelihood. Due to acid rain and constant ash fall, there are no more gardens, and no drinking water. The government has given the Matupit Islanders some new land on which to settle, but most of them have decided to stay on Matupit -- where their ancestors are buried. The Megapodes are chicken-like birds that lay their eggs in the volcanic ash and trust the volcano to incubate them. The hatchlings are the most developed birds on earth -- Immediately after emerging they can fly. Most times of the year the Matupit Islanders dig at the slopes of the volcano for the eggs. On good days, there are fifty men taking hundreds of eggs, which are cooked in the hot springs nearby and sold in the market. The entrepreneur, Helen Wutab, sells food and drinks to the men digging for eggs - and gets paid in eggs. In the evening, she returns with more eggs then anybody. The persisting owner of the Kaivuna Hotel, Michael Chan, who has his pool cleaned, his roof swept, his staff well trained, and who keep his hotel operating, knowing that in just a moment the guests will return. The Brahminy Kite, a chestnut-colored bird of prey with a white head and chest and black wing tips, uses the thermals of the volcano to hunt for prey. The Survivors and Dreamers -- The Chinese, Australian and New Zealand community, most of them born in Rabaul, are still hoping for the glorious days to return, when Rabaul had a flourishing yacht club, golf course, prestigious hotels, alcohol, cigars and girls. This group of people are decidedly different, economically and culturally, from the Matupit Islanders, and even from others in Rabaul City. The more affluent community has electricity, while the others spend their evenings in the dark; the affluent send their children to a private school; they often seal off part of their homes from the dust, and live with air conditioning. Dust is everywhere -- in the streets, in the market, at the wharf, filling up the harbor, in the hospital. The government wants to resettle the town, wants to close down businesses, but the people ignore the order -- where are they to go? The government has already closed the school on Matupit Island, and now the children spend their days in the rubbish dump, searching for anything useful. Will there be any hope that the volcano will ever stop it’s constant belching of ash? The people pray to God, and that’s why the churches are flourishing in the midst of the destruction. The story tells about a strong connection to the homeland, to the land of the ancestors, and the sense of belonging to this place. Even in the most miserable conditions, the people stay connected to their home, and they show an immense faith that one day, their paradise will return. Ulla Lohmann

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