Tribewanted: Vorovoro

The Evolution of Tribewanted: Reflections on life on Vorovoro a few weeks after leaving

When Mark and Ben hatched the idea of Tribewanted, the project’s first page was possibly written, but the rest was a blank book; Tribewanted was and is an unprecedented experiment.

Whatever Tribewanted on Vorovoro started out to be, among it’s many attributes, it has now become a unique place which fosters self discovery, introspection, and expression, all of this without constriction or rigidity, any particular plan or lifestyle that you have to subscribe to.

In this very respectful relaxed atmosphere created by the fusion of Tribewanted and the local Mali/Fijian way of life so close to nature, a space has evolved where no one has to fit into any kind of role or stereotype, no one has to prove anything to any one, look or act any particular way. Nothing on Vorovoro makes you feel that you have to “be” anything in particular. Unlike holidaying elsewhere, on Vorovoro the dress code is simply comfortable with a bit of respect thrown in. There are no mirrors to speak of and the scruffy look is more in vogue than anything else, there is no special way to “look” except the sulu look!
Vorovoro is a place where your imagination and expression can take wing, where the fetters of the society that you come from are left behind, still, good taste and manners prevail (as opposed to what you often find in the boozing backpackers “resorts”).

In the weeks that I have now spent on Vorovoro I have seen tribe members come alive, “try on” hidden qualities of their personality held back by either unfounded fears and a lack of confidence, or the restraints of the community that they come from and an often exaggerated concern for things that really don’t matter, at least not here.

People blossom; visiting tribe members find enormous satisfaction in simplicity. The lack of the presence of gadgets to occupy the time opens up space for undiscovered talents and creativity.

Most everyone that comes gets caught up in the spirit of creating something: signs, games, helping take care of the village vegetable garden or building projects, something as simple as collecting driftwood for the evening campfire gathering, or learning how to cook something with Va or Frances. People begin to forget to be embarrassed about making a mistake or looking foolish or out of place, or the fact that they don’t know the first thing about what they are now trying to learn. You might find some guy with Savee trying to master the moves of a Meke who has never danced in his life and finding that this very expressive form of dance is not at all silly or un-masculine, quite the opposite… Another person might be out on the reef discovering the magic of snorkeling for the first time in the underwater maze of fabulous corals and neon colored fish just 100 meters from the shore in and just 3 meters of water. Pupu Epeli regularly has someone in tow who is learning his skills of using plants to heal, how to make do with native materials in an unorthodox way when tools are lacking, to build most anything we need from baking pans from a sheet of tin to clothing fibers from tree bark, or they are following him into his forests to harvest trees and bamboo for building purposes.

Vorovoro unlocks your imagination and free will, you become you; realizing that looking like the next person in expensive designer jeans or having the latest popular technological invention might not bring that much to your life. You might find that a night around the campfire staring into it’s glow in an otherwise black night while the warm night air vibrates with the sounds of our Fijian friends intoning yet another harmony is much more satisfying than any TV program you will ever watch, in fact, you are the program here, and the impressions left on your memory will replay for ages after you leave.

March 25, 2008
Mercatale di Cortona, Italia

Photos by Kevin Kimpel