Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Calling all the people, all the tribe family across the globe… it’s that time again for Tribewanted Gapper FM in association with the almighty Hammock Society. And swinging away in the hammocks this week I have another Team Fiji favorite, the man in charge of horticulture and landscaping, the man called Liavi.

Bula Sia, bula sia, bula sia from Vorovoro.

Yes yes. It’s the man with one of the warmest smiles you’ll ever see. Liavi, what is the secret to your smile?

Wooohoooo! OK. Full smile, not a half smile, full smile. So happy to be smiling, too much love inside me.

Is that why you have a tattoo on your chest declaring ‘LOVE FOR SALE’?

It will cost you $150,000,000.

Hold on a second, what’s with the high price tag?

My children need schooling. But it’s free at midnight.

That’s because you turn into a big pumpkin. And speaking of vegetables, let’s chat about the gardens – what’s been happening recently?

We’ve been farming and planting seeds. Lots of seeds: long bean, cucumber, tomato, radish, cabbage, chilly, pineapple, watermelon, corn, pumpkin, butter-bean, carrot, big banana. Ohhhhh, so many.

Sounds like when we have Vorovoro day, a day where we eat only what’s grown on the island, it’ll be no problem, easy peasy?

Maybe wait a little bit. It’s better to eat Fijian food like rou rou (dalo leaves) and bele.

What is bele?

It makes your balls the size of paw paws. Haha. Fijian foods doesn’t need much water to grow. Your food like cucumbers, your green leaves, they need plenty water. But sometimes the weather makes it difficult, sometimes too hot, sometimes rain rain rain.

But plants like the rain don’t they?

If too much heavy rain the small plants get damaged – it’s like a baby, same as you, if two weeks rain on baby, you’re gonna die. Same as plants.

Perhaps your plants need umbrellas?

Eh!

Liavi, are you saying plants are humans?

Yes. If too much rain, you die. If too much hot, you die.

I see where you’re coming from. Some people may find that theory a little crazy but I admire the way you interact with the plants. Does talking to them help?

Yes. The plants are like my children because everyday I look at them and ask if they are OK. But they are very thirsty.

Yeah, I hear that, we’re in the middle of the dry season at the moment so it doesn’t rain much

My plants, my children, they need watering everyday but there is not enough water in Vorovoro. It is a big problem for me. We need more basins to catch the rain, maybe three more. We want to water everyday but we think about the tribe. We want to plant many more things but if there is not enough water they’re gonna die. If you want the plants to be good, the herbs to be good, we need more water.

That’s some serious message, I guess the project has really grown fast over the last few months and the place is looking stunning. You’ve been busy landscaping all the new paths and increasing the farming areas and all this required more water.

We want to plant lots of flowers for landscaping, make it look green and nice but no water. The main thing we want is water. Water is life, your body has much water otherwise you die. Ask the government to come and drill in the sand.

I believe Tui Mali is on the case with that one, in the meantime we’ll increase the catchment areas and purchase more basins. More basins for your babies.

Thank you Jimmy.

Easy my friend, you’ve become a big hit on Vorovoro and Tevita asked you to manage Team Fiji in his absence recently. How did this responsibility feel?

Not an easy job, very heavy on my shoulders and mind.

Well, you rose to the challenge, motivated the boys and got things done in time for Ben Keene’s return.

There was lots to do, Tevita left me a list. We smashed bamboo and weaved walls for the kitchen, the lali (drum) and the boat Captain’s house – we put a new roof on that too made from coconut leaves, it looks good now.

It certainly does, the village is looking absolutely t for tremendous. The Grand Bure is now empty because there is accommodation for all the tribe.

Yes. I felt sad to see tribe members sleeping on the sand in the new vale so we built a floor. The tribe now sleep on a wooden floor. I am happy because I enjoy work.

And now beds have been made from a mixture of driftwood, chopped wood and purchased timber, the new vale is looking pretty swish. The tribe are happy too. A short while ago, one night, we all sat outdoor on mats, around the grog bowl and we sung happy birthday to you. Do you remember?

Yes, I enjoyed it very much. In my village called Vuo (pronounced Vore) no one celebrates but here in Vorovoro it felt like the world had come to celebrate with me. Like the other day when the tribe came and helped farm in my village. My own villagers don’t help me, they just take at the harvest. But people come from all over the world and help my farm. We eat lunch and they meet my family. Makes me very happy.

Did you get any birthday gifts?

No cigarettes, don’t know why. I had a cake. The tribe got me some guitar strings and made me a birthday card and a ‘Crime Stopper’ helmet.

Ahhh yes, Crime Stopper – Vorovoro’s self appointed law enforcer. Do you accept bribes?

Shut up, I arrest you. I am the Crime Stopper. I ask the questions. Why you speak no Fijian, you’ve been here five months?

Tika lo! See, that’s ‘shut up’ in Fijian, I know the basics but I want to learn more. Besides, Fijians like to hear me speak English and pronounce words, sometimes explain their meanings.

How old are you?

I’m thirty two years old.

How come you’re not married yet?

I am assembling a harem.

But God says you must marry a woman. If you don’t get married the God will ask you why you’re not married?

Maybe I could marry one of your daughters Crimestopper. Or should I say Dad?

I give you $5,000,000.

You’ll give me $5,000,000 to marry your daughter?

Yes. One finger, one million. Two finger, two million. Three finger, three million. Four finger, four million. Thumb, five million. Make fist, punch you out boy!

Maybe it’s safer for me to become a monk

I’ll arrest you!

For what?

Drunk and disorderly.

I’m neither of those but I hope there’s some grog tonight and maybe hear you testing out your new guitar strings. For the readers out there, Liavi Crime Stopper, has a big musical presence on the island. How long have you been playing the guitar like Johnny Cash?

Since school. I used to be in the Mali String Band. We were on the radio two times. In 1984, we won the Viti Levu Youth Day trophy. We wore bula shirts and pocket sulus (long black skirt) with a salu slau (straw garland).

Sounds like your talents were recognised back then, perhaps they’re gonna be recognised globally if we manage to release the Vorovoro Sessions – a night where the sounds of Mali District Choir, a couple of tribe members and Team Fiji were recorded in the Grand Bure. A superb concert. I filmed the event for tribewanted tv and may I say… you put in a blinding performance and rocked the place. Are you ready to be a rockstar?

I’m ready to be famous to face the world. The feeling that night we really enjoyed, it felt like the world stage. We were really happy. Most of us, we stay in small villages, we born in Fiji, we die in Fiji but now the world come here and see us.

What’s the best thing about this project? Your favorite experiences…

When I first come to Vorovoro, I didn’t know how to speak English. I hear it, I listened to it and slowly I speak it. Now I can understand it and speak it more an more.

Second thing, white people used to scare Fijian children but now the kids are used to the white faces. Now we can stand face to face and talk.

Third thing, last one, Fijians and white man join together to make one bridge. My culture is not your culture but now I learn your culture and you learn my culture. When I see the white man come down to the black man and live together, know each other well, joke together, enjoy life… make me very happy for that.

Humbling. And I think that’s a good place to end out little chat and go play some bindi bindi, or as it’s known in India – Karim. It’s a mixture of draughts, pool and air hockey. Crimestopper is a bit of a super sharp shooter.

And you’re a fluke shot.

I’ll be blacks and you be white’s. Let’s bounce. Any last words?

Different colour, one family. Come and see Vorovoro. Good bye and good bye.

Until the next time, keep on breathing in love, breathing out peace.