Tribewanted: Vorovoro

What do you need for a summer day session in central London? Sunshine. Friends. Maybe Bruce Springsteen. Well yes but you could also add 8 Fijians, a tanoa (large wooden drinking bowl), a trio of guitars, some ‘bula’ shirts and a tribal collective.

Nienke’s brilliant pictures

Sight-seeing Tour, Fiji style

Respelendent in bright bula blue shirts and guitars tucked under their arms, the team walk down the steps from Waterloo station and swing round the corner so we’re standing directly beneath the London Eye. I turn to Leavi – aka Crimestopper – and ask,‘So where next?’ Leavi says, ‘OK, I am the tour guide today, follow me,’ and proceeds to march off towards the river.

This joke continues for the next three hours to much Fijian laughter, as with a growing number of tribe members in tow, the boys ambled over Westminster bridge (ice-creams and peanuts in hand), around Big Ben, stopping at Westminster Abbey for ‘masu’ – prayers – Leavi reminding us that this was where Princess-what-was-her-name got married. Onwards to the parks, over the bridges and to the ‘Queens house’.

As we turn out of St.James park and into full sight of Buckingham Palace, a band marches by in full chorus. Tevita turns to me, ‘ah yes, they are here to welcome us.’ A photo shoot in front of the palace is followed by Api asking why the guards stand so still, in fiji they just sleep – ‘those fellas, they should have a rest.’

Our increasingly cocky tour guide assures his tourists that we will meet the queen as (fact #15 of the day) the flag is flying so she is at home. He then turns to me to ask which window she is in, so that we can wave.

Before disappointment sinks in that her Majesty may not in fact be welcoming us today in person we move onto Green Park for a ‘morning tea’ of cookies and juice.

An hour later and we have passed the Bruce Springsteen fans and are making our way around the Serpentine Lake. Api, noting that the primitive mode of transport on the water – pedalos – could easily be upgraded with a 40 hp outboard.

Tribal Gathering Hyde Park

In all 50+ tribe members made their way to Speke’s monument in Hyde Park. Blankets, sulus and even a woven Fijian matt made were laid out next to a luscious picnic prepared by the Dream Foundation team.

After sevusevu (yes we even managed to bring a large tanoa to the park) presented by Tevita, we drank two bowls of kava. Members who had visited the island last three years came and greeted the boys, and what has always amazed me, continued to happen – the Fijians remembered everyones name, their place and role within the project. From toddlers to grandparents, as Tevita always says – ‘I cannot forget them, they have helped build us a new life.’ It was a moving, if not surreal re-union.

The Vorovoro Sessions classics were sung followed by on-mass tribe photos before rolling out of the park and invading the Swan for a couple of sundowners.

£420 was raised for the Foundation to go towards the new compost toilets at Mali school where some of the teams children attend. Big thanks to Helen (chair of TWDF) her board members (Kim and Jonny) and the volunteers on the day for making it happen – Hugh, Zeenat, Vicky, Christina and Sophie.

If you would like to help push this up to £500, please send a donation here

Eeeeeehh-ooooooo Tube

Finally team fiji stumble out of the Swan, tanoa and picnic left-overs bagged. Onto the Underground we go – and as we stride down sweaty sunday night tunnels in a world 180 degrees removed from island living – the voices of 5 strong men reverberate down the tubes.

The laughter has intensified and before we know the whole carriage is engaged with this colourful group of revellers. As we exit at Waterloo a man puts his arm around Tevita – ‘I watched all of you on the BBC, it was an uplifting story, thank-you.’

It was strange to think that one of the reasons people escape to the Fiji islands is because of spending too much time commuting the networks like the underground. Seeing Fiji to the London underground, even for a few minutes, made for the best tube time yet.

Sitting down in the middle of Waterloo as we waited for their train back to Hampton Court, the boys tucked into more of the picnic. Api, the man who has safely navigated nearly 1000 tribe members to and from Vorovoro, turned to me and whispered, ‘you know this, today is something I can never forget.’ Neither will I captain, neither will I.

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Team Fiji will be visiting the Eden Project on Thursday 2nd July and at Hampton Court 6th-12th July. They return to Fiji 13th July

Full itinerary here

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