Molokai-Kalaupapa: The People-The Place-The Legacy

This is an interesting documentary on a little-known chapter in American history. When leprosy began to reach epidemic proportions in Hawaii during the middle of the last century, an isolation camp was set up on the island of Molokai on a peninsula known as Kalaupapa in 1866. Those afflicted were sent to the camp, and until a cure was discovered in our time, the people and their families lived in an enforced seclusion. This is their story--a tale of resourcefulness in the face of hardship. Although rumors of lawlessness and disorder were rife from the community's inception, a number of churches quickly sprang up. In 1873, Father Damien, a 30-year-old Belgian missionary, came to Kalaupapa, bringing both faith and compassion to the people--his life (and death there, after he himself contracted leprosy) would bring the attention of the world at large to the colony. Over the years, concerned visitors as varied in their backgrounds and interests as Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, and Teddy Roosevelt would go to the island. In 1969, the quarantine was finally lifted: many people left, but some remained, and in 1980, the area was designated a National Historic Park, where tourists can see the story of Kalaupapa written on the gravestones, and housed in the museum. The program concludes with interviews from residents commenting on a similar situation with AIDS victims: and expressing their hope that people would learn to help the sick, not tuck them away into a distant corner. A good program, both informative and informational--particularly in dispelling some of the commonly held myths about leprosy. Recommended. (Available from: Panorama International Productions, 10700 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601.)