NABITU
Village as a Post-Colonial Primer
The children in these photos attend pre-school in the Fijian village of Nabitu. They are participating in an annual school event, Library Week. Each year the children wear costumes to depict all aspects of adult roles in Fijian life. I was invited to accompany Esiteri Kamicamica, a Fijian friend from the City of Suva, who was bringing a war club to complete her grandson's warrior costume.
I arrived just in time. The pre-schoolers were paraded into the village school and each one was introduced by their teacher. The first few costumes portrayed typical contemporary and traditional Fijian adult roles: the Typist; the Nurse; the Meke Dancer; the man and woman Chief; the Warrior; the Talatala (Methodist Minister); the Talatala’s Wife; the Church Lady; the Police Band Member; and the Indian Woman.
As the next children were introduced, the event turned into a graphic presentation of the effects of colonialism and modernization. One of the children was dressed as a Suva Lady and another was dressed up as a Suva Roamer. The Suva Lady was dressed to emulate a city woman (European) and the boy was dressed to look like a villager trying to fit into the City of Suva. He was called a roamer because these boys can't find jobs or housing, so they roam the streets - supporting themselves by petty thievery. As it turned out, most of the costumes depicted adult roles from an urban world the children had never seen.
After Miss Charity was introduced, one boy was dressed as an Arab Sheik. His father was in the Fijian Army and was a member of the U.N. Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon. The UN policing assignments are a major source of hard currency for the government. The next boy was introduced as A Pirate No More. He was now coming to learn. Piracy is an issue in Fijian waters to this day.
The cross-cultural impact of the feature film, The God's Must Be Crazy, was elegantly conveyed when the teacher introduced the last child as the Bushman of the Kalahari. After a short pause the teacher added, "He Must Be Crazy."
What started out as a pleasant children's school ended up as a post-colonial primer, one that still engages me.