They finally returned to Italy two doctors from Brescia than the revolt of the local population had surprised in New Caledonia.
Luciano Corda and Sara Spandrio left Brescia last May 6 with the aim of spending a few days with the family of their son Massimo, also a doctor, but employed by the French health service. New Caledonia is an overseas territory under the authority of Paris. THE disorderstriggered by a proposed change to the electoral law which, according to local natives, would increase the political weight of French immigrants to the detriment of native communities, they surprised them on the Ouvea atoll where they had gone for a couple of days trip.
The declaration of the state of emergency and the closure of airports forced them into a obligatory stay of a couple of weeks at the end of which the local authorities managed to bring them back to the capital Noumea. From there the two Brescians managed, not without difficulty, to reunite with her sonwhich works in the north of the main island, in La Foa.
«The journey by car, about 120 km, was not easy – they say – because the Roads were continually blocked by checkpoints of the rioters and therefore in some cases we were forced to make long detours, furthermore petrol was starting to run low and therefore only a few vehicles could move. We managed to find a couple of passages and arrive at our destination, where all things considered the situation was quite calmexcept that, in the absence of regular connections with the rest of the world, some basic necessities were starting to run outflour, butter and even gas cylinders, which made it complicated not only to cook but also to heat the water in the boilers.”
The return took place in one of the rare reopening windows of Noumea international airport. «At a certain point they offered us to take advantage of one of the flights leaving from the island, towards Brisbane, take it or leave it – they say -. We should have stayed a few more days, but the risks of not being able to leave afterwards were high. In fact, we know of some people who, having preferred to wait to be able to go directly to New Zealand, rather than stopover in Australia, are still stuck waiting for a new flight. All in all it wasn’t a dramatic experiencebecause in Ouvea the community is not Canacan, but Wallesian (from Wallis and Fotuna), unrelated to the anti-French revolt and very well disposed towards those of us who were stranded on the island. We are, of course, left with some concern for our son and his family who remained there. Many French people will probably end up leaving New Caledonia. The story is typical of decolonizationrelations between local communities and Westerners are always in a precarious balance and relations are subject to many tensions, including external ones.”
