Fiji report

Well, as you may have guessed, I’m back from Fiji and have been for almost a week now. It was a good trip. I learned quite a bit and made some very good contacts. I will be returning in June for about 10 days and possibly in September, too.





I don’t really know what to say about it other than I enjoyed my time. Being a week there allowed me only a brief snapshot. Added to that is the fact that I stayed in Suva, the capital, and spent a large amount of my time in the hotel. Thus, I feel that the snapshot was a bit out of focus, too. But I will share with you some impressions. Fiji struck me as being halfway between the developed world and the developing world. Planes left on time, traffic congestion was almost non-existent, the water was safe to drink. But the roads are terrible, unemployment is high, prices are relatively low, vehicle emissions seem to be unregulated, tourism and servicing the expatriate staff of various aid offices and embassies are major employers. Having only that brief snapshot, I have no way of determining in which direction Fiji is heading or if it is on a development plateau, though most of the papers seem to say that Fiji is struggling tremendously.



One of the more memorable events of my week in Suva was dinner on Thursday. A member of the board of directors of Transparency International-Fiji was involved in the week’s meetings. Her name is Suliana and she is an elderly, humble, regal lady. When she saw the number of foreigner visitors were there she decided we all needed a good Fijian meal, so she invited us to her home. The setting was marvelous. There were woven mats on the floor, beautiful baskets, carvings and pictures decorating the home. The yard was full of lush flowers and tropical fruit trees framing an incredible view of the bay from a broad, open porch. And, as if to complete the paradisiacal tropical image, a drenching downpour periodically made its appearance throughout the evening.

The evening started with a traditional Fijian kava ceremony. Kava is a traditional drink throughout the western Pacific. It is made from the leaves of the kava plant and is drunk as a relaxant, a bit like alcoholic beverages I suppose. There are even kava bars throughout the Islands and one can be cited with ‘driving under the influence’ if you’ve had too many bowls (tanoa) before heading out on the road. Kava looks like muddy water and tastes like one would think muddy water tastes. It also numbs the tongue and mouth. I can’t say it’s my favorite beverage. I have had kava once before while at BYU. It was in my ethnobotany class taught by Paul Cox, who does quite a bit of research in Samoa. He invited a Samoan chief to come perform the ceremony for us. The Samoan and Fijian ceremonies are very different and since I am not an expert ethnographer, I won’t try to describe either of them. I just hope you get the opportunity to witness them yourself. Undoubtedly due to the intoxicating effects mentioned above, I have heard that drinking kava is against the Word of Wisdom, but I have also been told that it is an accepted tradition and that Spencer W. Kimball would imbibe when in the Pacific. Until I hear from an authoritative voice, I won’t worry about it.


The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, chatting and eating a number of wonderful dishes. I think Suliana tried to make every Fijian recipe ever invented:
• various baked fish (yummy);
• taro, cassava and yams (interesting);
• banana and coconut pudding (not as good as I would have thought); pineapple cake (yummy);
• crawfish or raw fish salad (I couldn’t understand her pronunciation and didn’t want to really find out. It was very good);
• various fruits and veggies (always a winner); and
• chicken.


My final observation is about the people themselves. Fijians are a handsome people, but one must be careful about whom one calls a Fijian, because ethnicity in Fiji is a very important issue. Originally Fijians are of Melanesian stock, a bit more slightly built than Polynesians with very kinky curly hair and dark skin, but they have intermingled with other Pacific populations, particularly the Tongans who had conquered the Fijian islands at one time, such that there is a range of features not frequently found in Melanesian populations. The term ‘Fijian’ refers not to nationality or citizenship, but to race. About half of the population is Indo-Fijian, descendents of the Indians brought over by the British in the 19th Century to work on the plantations. The other half is ethnic Fijian. Only those of ethnic Fijian descent are called Fijians.

In closing I thought I'd throw in a few random photos.

I highly recommend the Tymo cookies. Especially the coconut Tymos.


I'd like to know the story the behind this one (no pun intended).


I call this picture 'Humble Optimism'.