Dear Matafele Peinem

"Dear Matafele Peinem" (/dɪr mɑːtɑːfɛleɪ peɪnɛm/) is a poem by the Marshallese poet Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner. Written in English, the poem is a letter to her then seven month old daughter, Matafele Peinem.[1] The poem is most notable for its having been read aloud by Jetn̄il-Kijiner at the opening ceremony of the 2014 UN Climate Summit, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in September 2014;[2] it received a standing ovation from the gathered delegates which lasted over one minute.[3]: @32:57 

The poem's content primarily deals with the global climate crisis which, via rising sea levels, threatens to inundate the Marshall Islands. In the poem, Jetn̄il-Kijiner promises that she will protect her daughter from the crisis, and assures her, and her descendants, the ability to live in the Marshall Islands. The poem, however, also recognizes the failure to avoid the relocation of the Carteret Islanders,[4] and promises that "We are drawing the line now"

Commenting on the poem in his retrospective documentary The Last Years of Majuro, in regards to the predicted inundation of the Marshall Islands due to climate change, Sam Denby said, "In stories, the underdog is supposed to win. When they give it their all, [...] when they read 'Dear Matafele Peinem', when they chant 1.5 to stay alive,[note 1] it’s supposed to work. Today, projections show that under the best case scenario, we’ll reach 1.5 in 2052."[3]: @37:02 

Footnotes

Notes
  1. A common climate change slogan in the Marshall Islands. See Shapiro, Ari (9 December 2015). "For The Marshall Islands, The Climate Goal Is '1.5 To Stay Alive'". NPR. All Things Considered. Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2020.

References
  1. "Perspective: A poet's hope for her baby girl". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. Zavadski, Katie (24 September 2014). "A Young Mother's Poem at the U.N. Climate Summit Was Completely Heartbreaking". New York. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  3. Denby, Sam (4 August 2020). The Last Years of Majuro (documentary). Wendover Productions, Curiosity Stream – via YouTube.
  4. James, Darren (4 August 2018). "Lost at sea: the race against time to save the Carteret Islands from climate change". ABC News. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2020. The Carteret Islands in the Pacific were the first place in the world to require population relocations due to climate change related sea level rises.
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