It is exactly 16 years today since I started Marine Café Blog. One thought has guided me throughout: the greatest challenge faced by shipping in the 21st century is how to reclaim its humaniy. This is why the blog has been highlighting seafarers’ rights and maritine art and culture, for both themes are reminders of that humanity.
Talk about seafarers’ rights never ceases. Much of it, however, is mere lip service. Crew abandoment is on the rise, and the criminalisation of seafarers continues. It is all very dismaying, but it has driven me to dwell on the rights and welfare of those who toil at sea.
It’s not an easy undertaking for an independent writer. Never mind that there is little or no money to be made from blogging. The real problem is having to contend with a conservative industry where some organisations are considered sacred cows and maverick spirits are frowned upon.
As for marine art and culture, they have slight significance where the love of money rules. How many shipping companies, manning agencies, nautical academies, or port operators have marine paintings hanging on their office walls? Most would rather display their ISO certificates. On social media, maritime professionals talk about jobs, careers, business, and technology. Who has time for art, poetry, and music?
Not all is lost, however. To date, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, has been downloaded 1,807 times from Marine Café Blog. The whaling song Wellerman has reached 217,895 downloads and the French song La Mer by Charles Trenet, 1,750. Some people do care about such things.
Perhaps one of these days the International Maritime Organization will launch an annual art or music competition to celebrate the shipping world and seafarers. But that may be wishful thinking. It is easier and more fun for IMO bureaucrats to spin out slogans for the Day of the Seafarer.
~ Barista Uno
