Help Fund ONE OCEAN, ONE PEOPLE
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My name is Anthony Perez and I am a traveling content creator who's passion lies rooted into cultural immersion and deep dives into the indigenous way of life.
When Did the Voyage Begin?
In Feb 2024, I embarked on the single greatest and most ambitious trip of my life that will take me across the three regions comprised of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia, & Micronesia, with a visit to the Torres Strait in Australia.
But my journey will involve more than everyday travel. As a content creator and storyteller, I will be traversing over 40 different island cultures to document culture, tradition, language, dance, and way of life to share via multiple story structures that will represent the people and culture, through their voices.
The intention and goal:
Not only to promote pride within the culture and its people, but as a means for the outside world to understand this region of the world, that is sustainable and respectful. On a deeper note, maritime boundaries drawn across Oceania have created a divide amongst identities that share a commonality in language, customs, and love.
My aim and goal is to contribute in uniting the islands through storytelling. Via large scale documentaries in each Pacific island or through mini stories via my "Voices of the Pacific" series.
The list of intended Pacific Island stops are as follows:
American Samoa (Current Location)
Samoa
Tokelau
Wallis & Futuna
Fiji
Rotuma (Polynesian Outlier In Fiji)
Tuvalu
Rabi Island, Fiji (Island of Displaced I-Kiribati from Banaba Island)
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Vanuatu
Solomon Islands
Papua New Guinea
Queensland, Australia (Immersion with Aboriginal Tribes)
Torres Strait (Northern Queensland Australia)
Palau
Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae)
Guam
Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands
Where Will Funds GO:
1) LARGE SCALE DOCUMENTARIES:
Fund documentation initiatives in each Pacific island. This will help fund everything from inter island travel, hiring local talents for filming, hiring translators, etc.
2) Mini Shorts / Stories:
Voices of the Pacific was created to expand on stories via interviews that never made the final cut in documentaries. This helps to explore the deeper narratives shared across the islands that are more intimate and in depth. The goal is to share these shorts via Youtube into subtopics with these stories also shared on a podcast.
3) Gear Upgrades
4) Helping to Reduce the cost of Inter-Island Pacific Travel
Why this Fundraiser is so Important?
As an emerging creator and even filmmaker, I am utilizing this fundraiser to help kickstart this complex but passion driven work that will involve mindful cultural immersion across the Pacific. One that is bound to leave a positive impact and footprint for future generations.
The work that I have done in previous trips in the Pacific and Hawai’i have portrayed true representations of the cultures and their people while also bringing a fresh perspective on what I see and experience through them.
And lastly, my work is intended for the next generation who are vital in carrying on these stories, traditions, and knowledge forward.
Pacific Projects Currently in the Works Where Funds Will Help
Untitled American Samoa Project
Voices of the Pacific Stories (Ongoing)
Voices of the Pacific Podcast (in the works)
Most Recent Work
I have been blessed to have spent the past 4-5 years immersed in Hawaiian culture and documenting it for my documentary, Living Like A Hawaiian.
Final Words of Acknowledgement
Thank you to all of you who support what I do, my intentions, and the legacy I hope to leave behind in travel, especially representing cultures often misrepresented or lack thereof.
Your donations no matter the amount may bring money into the equation, but the money truly equals TIME in the destinations I intend to be. And TIME, means the world to these people.
Thank you!
-Anthony Perez
Social Media:
Youtube, Tiktok, & Instagram: APerezVoyages
Organizer
Anthony Perez
Organizer
Honolulu, HI