"Every February they parade in old US army uniforms with wooden weapons.
Others go bare-chested with the letters "USA" painted in bright red letters on their bodies.
Nearby, a giant Stars and Stripes flutters in the breeze from the main flagpole.
This is the heart of John Frum country on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. "
Source: BBC News Article- John From America
nicksun
6
northward
For those that have read the linked article all the way through I found this part really ironic:
A Christian youth worker told me how he thought the cult was childish. "It's like a baby playing games," he insisted. "Those people are holding on to a dream that will never come true," he said.
Oh, you mean like Jesus returning to Earth?
7
ejpiii
Don't get religious or political here, you atheistic piece of metrotrash.... :>)
Leave people to their own beliefs. Personally I'm stickin' with my own bneliefs.
Ed
9
dutch_uncle
The articeleis a bit below the usual high BBC standard. They do not explain what a cargo cult is, or that they started in the 19th century when islanders could see the goods, or cargo, brought by outsiders. They concluded that he cargo was intended for them, sent by their ancestors, so they proceded to build mock harbors, and later airports, so that the goods could be delivered directly. One version I read had John Frum beng a US Navy paymaster who paid local workers.
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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