Concrete Playground

For those of us who aren't anthropologists, a 'cargo cult' is a kind of ritual practice that emerges in some tribal societies following contact with a 'technologically advanced' culture. Participants, believing that the 'cargo' (or materials possessed by the foreigners) is actually intended for them by their gods or ancestors, invent rituals to ensure that this cargo is properly delivered to them.

Possibly the most famous of these is the John Frum Movement, which is still alive and kicking on Tanna island in Vanuatu. In response to American presence on the island, in the '40s the cult built imitation landing strips and control towers from available materials (wood, tin, bamboo and rope). These were manned and 'operated' in the same way that locals had observed American officers doing and were intended to lure the planes which would deliver their cargo to them. February 15 in Vanuatu is still John Frum Day and religious practices involve (among other things) an enaction of American history through music and dance.

All this is rich material for Mike Daisey, the theatrical version of Michael Moore, who recounts his experience of John Frum Day in monologue format. Playing on a looser definition of a cargo cult as an imitation of superficial elements without comprehension of deeper meaning, Daisey links these seemingly bizarre practices with our own 'technologically advanced' faith in a financial system which most of us have little or no understanding of.