Tribewanted: Vorovoro

I’ve been meaning to write this report for months, and am finally getting round to it:

One September afternoon the island received a visit from some government officials (I think from the Native Lands Commission), as part of their visit to tourism resorts around Fiji. It all felt incredibly formal as they were welcomed into the bure by Tui Mali, in their shirts and pocket sulu’s. We performed a meke, and kava was interspersed with tea and cake. Craig (Tui Bitu) and Dave guarded the Tanoa, and Kimbo presented the kava to the guests impeccably.

The officials could not praise us palangi highly enough, and I can only assume their response in Fijian was equally positive as both Tui Mali and Tevita swelled with pride. They described Vorovoro as a model for tourism, and how they would wish to see tourism develop across Fiji. They also commented that our meke was better than many they’d seen at ‘cultural performances’ in mainland resorts, full praise for which went to Tevita, who they thought could be in demand as Meke teacher extraordinaire across the land.

It was such an unexpected experience to be part of, and really made me appreciate how unique TW is, and how exceptional the relationship between us tribie visitors and the Fijians is.

Sorry, I’ve been a bit scant on details, and Kimbo may be able to fill in some of the blanks. I thought this random afternoon in September deserved a blog of it’s own!