Transcript
WALTER ZWEIFEL: Alex du Prel was born in Austria and lived in Europe and North America until the mid 70-s when he sailed to Tahiti all on his own and to never leave. He was an adventurer and an engineer who loved literature and as a hobby fixed up World War Two jeeps. After running Marlon Brando's Tetiaroa island he turned to journalism and in 1991 launched Tahiti Pacifique magazine which he sold two years ago.
DON WISEMAN: What has the magazine been like?
WZ: This is a personal opinion, but I considered it as a standout publication in the region. It provided every month a summary of events in the territory, a thoughtful editorial, cartoons, detailed studies and analyses of information pertinent to Tahitian society. It was also a treasure for historic material, such as photos as well as history and carried short stories. Among the often glitzy and glossy press output, Tahiti Pacifique was a beacon, tasteful and intelligent. Notably, as a publisher he habitually thanked his readers for their loyalty.
DW: Alex du Prel irked the political leadership, in particular Gaston Flosse.
WZ: He most certainly did. As recent history has shown Gaston Flosse has piled up a raft of corruption conviction for actions more than a decade ago that for the longest time were carried out with impunity. Alex du Prel, in pursuit of good governance, reported about these irregularities which angered the powerful. As a result, he found himself often involved in court cases which du Prel interpreted as attempts to exhaust him financially. For example, he was to be questioned for defamation in Paris because the magazine was sold there. Alex du Prel succeeded in getting to testify via video link and be spared the costly trip to France. He also revealed that Flosse ran an intelligence service in defiance of the law and that he was under surveillance every time he went to town. While other complainants about the illicit spying dropped their cases, du Prel maintained that all amounted to an abuse of public funds.
DW: What will he remembered for?
WZ: I would says his independent spirit, his honesty, integrity and courage. Plus his dedication and hard work over such a long period of time. Personally, I also remember his standard answer whenever I called him and asked how he was. He always replied tersely: 'surviving'.
