Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Arriving back on Vorovoro after a six month island break has meant the last three weeks has felt like one non-stop talanoa (story telling) session.

Hearing the Fijian version of what’s been happening on Vorovoro has been fascinating and given me a greater understanding of the progress of this project as well as the culture – and its all very positive.

ISLAND ENTERPRISE
One of the stories I heard recently was of a business training programme being run in Mali. 25 of the yavusa (tribe) attended learning the basics of setting up a business.

I met with Junior, Save’s brother, in Labasa who told me more about it. I asked if we could help in anyway and he suggested that it would be a good idea to have a mini-Mali enterprise meeting on Vorovoro.

HURRICANE LAMP NETWORKING
So on Thursday, four hours later than arranged (to be expected), seven on Mali’s finest entrepreneurial minds appeared out of the dark on the beach. Along with a crowd of tribe members we met in team Fiji’s beautiful bure by hurricane lamp to discuss their business ideas and how we could help.

We learnt about the government grants and the bank loans but also about the lack of any real creativity in the ideas. A sense of any service provision as a way of creating wealth was non-existence. Not through lack of knowledge, intellegience or ambition – simply their training only outlined the fishing, farming, ice-plant business formats. So we broadened the conversation to asking everyone in the room if they were to start their dream business what would it be, regardless of barriers…here were the answers from tribe members and Mali yavusa alike:

Hammock Shop – Moya
Flapjack Factory – Dan
Sportscar Leasing – Paul
Sustainability Consultancy – Ben katz
Fishing Business – Emosi
Expedition Leader – Jale
Sell & Repair Musical Instruments – Atama
Fijian Restaurant – Lindsay
Sell treehouses – Timoci
Sell solar/wind – Hassan
Import Electric Cars – Luke
Fishing – Patrick
Scuba Diving – Junior
Service Station – Ciko
Grog Shop – Save

What i thought was interesting about this quick brainstorm which was not specific to Mali/ Labasa region was how aside from the Sportscar leasing and Elecric Car businesses, all others were potentially viable ideas for the region (if you read flapjacks for cakes that is).

A NEW CONTRACT
Junior had already mentioned an interest in showing people some of the tribe members the interior mountainous areas of Vanua Levu. The idea of an expedition leader then prompted a discussion about whether there was an opportunity for trekking weekends for the tribe. An enthusiastic response from tribe members and further discussion about what the experience would include. The result? A handshake and agreement that Junior and his team would organise a weekends trekking through the interior on the 9th August. Junior’s Great Northern Treks begins… watch this space.

More discussion on Fijian crafts and other businesses followed before joining Tui Mali under the stars by the tanoa. How business networking should be, and not a card exchange in site.