Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Also published on Telegraph.co.uk

The goodbye

8am. High-tide, an ocean as flat as an emerald table-top laps quietly at the island shore.

From the trees two of the boys emerge, roll out a matt and place the tanoa (kava bowl). More join cross-legged and a ceremony begins.

Giles is leaving today after a year of leading the project and working closely with team fiji, as they’re known on Vorovoro. Lots of feelings hang in the bright sunlight, as two days of cultural celebrations are coming to an end.

The next hour or two we spend with Giles as the boys and tribe sing a collection of island classics, some of which we all know well – Daru Mai Lele, Dula Lewa, Lomai Galoa and Gile’s favourite on which he confidently solo’s – Susi.

It is an incredible scene.

Eventually Giles makes his moce’s and we all sing a teary Isa Lei.

What happened next…

As the boat disappeared behind the headland I expected the boys to roll up the matt, wipe away their tears and begin a new day of work, this had, after all been a long goodbye. But no, I was wrong. Instead they started mixing another tanoa, pounded more grog, and spent the next 15 hours rooted to the kava matt, only moving down to Tui Mali’s veranda later in the day to continue.

I was a little angry. I’d told the boys only a week ago that as numbers were less on the island at the moment it meant funds were tighter for the project. That didn’t mean we were going to cut back on budgets or workforce as we all want the great momentum of the project to continue. But, I asked, please be resourceful as we develop. As far as I was concerned after two days of celebrations, another full working day sitting on the kava matt was not what I would call resourceful.

I just couldn’t see how the people (Fijians, tribe members) or the island was developing in any capacity that day, all I could see is a lack of activity and even an unnecessary wallowing in sadness – surely the best the thing was to get on and work. Get the energy back. So at the end of the week I made the decision with Jim not to pay the team for the day they sat on the grog matt and I explained the reasons for doing so.

The reaction

The following Monday meeting was particularly subdued and we’ve learnt that lack of eye contact and general whooping usually means something is up. It took a whole day of chatting to different members of the team to find out why. Eventually I sat down with Tevita, I was leaving Vorovoro the next day and I wanted to depart on a good footing with the team and the project.

Te explained that the boys felt the deducting their wages that day was unfair. He had told them the reasons that I’d already explained about development but it still left a bad taste. He went onto explain that this was development for the team, that without it they would not have have closed off the relationship in the right way with Giles and that wounds would have remained open.

It started to make more sense. The process of development comes in different shapes and sizes and team Fiji are the pulse of Vorovoro – without the right energy coming from them the project does not work on the high level that many of us have come to expect. Along with the kitchen team and the family they open themselves and their culture up at great length to those of us that come and go. It is our privilege to be part of that. They welcome each of us unconditionally.

I apologised to Tevita with a bundle of kava. He suggested we should take the grog and present it together to team Fiji. We did. Pupu received it with more tears, and handshakes and hugs ensued. We were all united again. That night we took a boat of tribe members, grog and guitars down to the western beach for one of the best Vorovoro sessions I’ve been part of. ‘Development’ has been flying ever since.

The reflection
We are doing this project to learn about a different culture and build a new life. Almost all of the experience and decisions now are the right ones, but sometimes we (still) make mistakes. I don’t see apologising as a negative thing – it is a communication process, humility is an integral part of life here and even when you try to be sensitive you can get it wrong.

So can a business and cross-culturally sensitive project really work? Yes, but there will be days when we get it wrong. And when we do it and correct it will make us stronger, more united and happier.

This is why I love Vorovoro – it is the best form of education anyone could wish for.

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I head back to the UK tonight full of pride of what has been achieved on Vorovoro so far by the two communities. It has a momentum of its own now that should give all who come into contact with this project optimism.

loloma vorovoro

ben