SAGAN SERIES #10

I  just watched the Pale Blue Dot - Sagan Series #10 - google it when you have time.

CYCLONE COMING......!

We got a lot of rain, wind and flooding.....

CULTURE MATTERS....by Matt Allen

Matt Allen is a fellow Peace Corps volunteer serving in RakiRaki.  He writes so well that I wanted to share his writings......

The very first class I attended in college was Introduction to Comparative Politics. At the first lecture the professor started out by saying that his class would revolve around a thesis, one that we were free to agree or disagree with. And that thesis was that when it comes to why certain countries thrive while others struggle, culture doesn’t matter much. At the time the argument certainly appealed to my liberal sensibilities (and likely irked the handful of conservatives there), but after spending over a year in a developing country, I’m not so sure I believe it anymore. Because when I look around at the Fijian people in my community, I see plenty of reasons why their culture is not very conducive to development.

Culture Matters

It’s of course a bit controversial to suggest that a country is being inhibited by an anti-entrepreneurial culture, given its similarity to various racist arguments that have often been made to explain the dominance of western society. A theory famously put forward by sociologist Max Weber in the 1930's held that it was the “Protestant work ethic” which allowed northern Europe (and America by extension) to dominate the world economically. This was the theory that my professor wanted to disprove. From his perspective, developing countries continue to flounder not because the people are anti-entrepreneurial, but rather because their governments are. In this view, post-colonial states constantly thwart the ambitions of their people because they are run by, and for the benefit of, a corrupt and parasitic elite. While this theory certainly makes sense when applied to many African nations, I don’t think it holds water in the Fijian context.



Unlike the people of many other developing countries, native Fijians live in a world of ample advantages, including:

• An abundance of food, with plenty of healthy fruits, vegetables, and fish
• A constitutional right to 80% of their nation's land, most of which is fertile and currently unused (this land also cannot be bought or sold)
• No gun violence and little crime overall
• Relative freedom from diseases that ravage other countries, such as malaria, TB, and HIV
• A huge tourism industry pumping foreign money into the economy
• Decent social welfare programs (e.g. free health care and social security that kicks in at 55)
• Good institutional support for development (despite all the coups Fiji is quite stable, for native Fijians at least)

Yet this country's GDP per capita ranks 128th in the world (out of 187). In real terms, this means that the average Fijian's living standards are on par with someone from Honduras or the Republic of Congo, and well behind someone from war-torn Iraq. Put another way, about 23% of Fijians live on less than $2 a day, again far worse than many supposed "basket-case" countries like Syria and Colombia.

So why is this the case? As I’ve mentioned in the past, there’s "Fiji time" (referred to as “polychronic time” by anthropologists) and the "Fijian-yes" (i.e. saying yes when you really mean no), both of which irk PCVs here on a daily basis. However, these things exist to some degree in most developing countries and even many developed ones. In my opinion, when you compare American and Fijian cultures, the most pertinent difference you'll see is that the two exist on polar opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to individual vs. community focus. And what I mean by that is that traditional Fijian culture is basically communist.

"Communitarianist" might be a more appropriate term than communist

When you live in village, nothing truly belongs to you because you are obligated to let people take or "borrow" things if they ask for them (a phenomena referred to as "kere-kere" here). Thanks to kere-kere no one in a village goes hungry, but at the same time it completely disincentivizes any pursuit of wealth or success. For instance, back in training I once tried to ask my host-dad about what he grew on his farm, but he shushed me and told me not to talk about it. Later I found out that he didn't want people knowing he was growing bell peppers, a better income-generating crop than the Fijian staples most of his compadres were growing. Also in a nearby village, I heard about one woman who tried to start a small canteen, selling simple things like noodle packs and tinned fish. Unfortunately it failed almost immediately, because her family and friends would just continuously kere-kere all of her stock. Stories like these are common throughout the country.

As the chart above says, being communitarian indicates not only an economic focus on the community, but a cultural one as well. Here in Fiji, this means that people are expected to always go with the flow and not make any waves. There are not many things frowned upon more than being confrontational, particularly when it comes to challenging people with authority. As a result, creative thinking is restrained and anyone with an innovative idea for improving the village usually has to keep their mouth shut. In addition, rather than making communities more harmonious, all this really does is make them more passive-aggressive. Within many villages the various "mataqali's" (extended-family clans) don't get along with each other at all, making it impossible for the village to agree on anything.

Part of a series of butchered English idioms at a nearby primary school

Another big problem is aid-dependency, as it is in many developing countries. Fiji receives a ton of foreign aid, totaling about $75 million a year. For the sake of comparison, Fiji gets about $85 per person a year in development aid, while Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa, receives only $49 per person a year. Ever since Obama got elected, conservatives have frequently been throwing around the term “entitlement culture” to describe America. Whether or not you agree with that label, it’s a joke compared to the entitlement culture you can see in many villages in Fiji. Why raise money to improve the village when you can just wait for an NGO or a naive volunteer to do it for you? A common lament in the Peace Corps here is how often Australian aid workers and the like undermine our attempts at sustainable development by just handing things out, no strings attached.

Like many cultures, Fijians are big on the afternoon siesta

And I would be remiss if I failed to mention kava in this post. Drinking kava, which historically was only consumed during specific rituals and celebrations, is now a nightly 4+ hour affair in many Fijian communities. While it's fairly tame as far as narcotics go (mostly it just makes you tired), the hangover you get the next morning basically makes you incapable of doing anything for hours until it wears off. I don't think I need to explain the impact this can have on villages in Fiji.

If none of this has convinced you yet, consider the fact that we have something like a natural experiment in Fiji: people from two different cultures living in the same country at the same time. And despite the fact that Indo-Fijians are actually subject to worse political conditions, it's clear that they are better off economically. People often speculate why ~90% of the businesses in Fiji are owned and managed by Indo-Fijians, and the answer usually given is that Indians have a stronger cultural history of enterprise. Some might see this as a simplistic or even ignorant explanation, but given the Fijian context, I have a hard time seeing how it could be any other reason.

Of course cultures are not static. A good example of how rapidly cultures can change is littering in America. Something that really annoys new volunteers in Fiji is the prevalence of trash in almost every public space. I have to bite my tongue every time someone throws a plastic wrapper out of the bus window. But after complaining about this to a few people, I learned that America wasn’t much different up until the 1970’s, when there was a major campaign to clean up the country. I’d like to think that Fiji may be on the verge of some similar attitude shifts. Currently, urban drift and a more informed youth are breaking down old norms and hierarchies. At the same time however, the subsequent brain-drain that occurs detracts from rural Fiji making much progress.

Since this is a somewhat controversial post, I should make one thing clear. In no way do I believe that American or western culture is “better” than Fijian culture. It’s ridiculous to suggest that one culture is wholly better than another one. But we should admit that some cultures are better at certain aspects of life. For example, I’ve found that Fijians are better at sustaining family ties and maintaining work-life balance than we are. At the very least, they are outwardly far happier and friendlier than the average American. Both of these cultures have something to learn from each other, and that's arguably the whole point of the Peace Corps. But when looking at things purely from a development perspective, Fiji's culture has no choice but to evolve, lest they remain stuck in relative poverty for the foreseeable future.

Peace and Friendship through Music.....

Beautiful Music on a Sunday afternoon....

Tricia is a fellow Peace Corps volunteer from Oregon.  Kimball Gallagher is a pianist from NYC.  He is on an 88 country tour and was in Fiji.

DIABETIC HUB

Joe works with Dr. R. Sharma at the Diabetic Hub in Suva.  There are 3 hubs in Fiji - Suva, Lautoka and Labasa.  Referrals are treated with a team approach - medical, nutrition, foot care, nursing.  Every 12 hours in Fiji an amputation is done due to complications to diabetes.  1 out of 3 adults in Fiji are being diagnosed with diabetes.

DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK

We are always battling the cockroaches, ants, FROGS, geckos, centipedes....But now we have an outbreak of Dengue Fever here.   4600 cases have been reported so far and the MOH believes another 3000 suspected cases are not reported.  There have been 2 deaths.  The spread of dengue can only be stopped if the breeding places of these mosquitoes are destroyed.   Dengue is a tropical and subtropical disease that has been increasing in countries with these climates because of rain.
   Water sanitation is a big challenge here.  Water drainage, garbage disposal are challenges.  If your grandchildren want to work in third world countries they should all be engineers specializing in water sanitation!!!!!

Dengue Information

According to Ministry of Health, Dengue fever is still a huge issue so please be extra careful.

People get dengue virus infections from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite infected humans, and later transmit infection to other people they bite. The main species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti once infected remains infective for life. Dengue is not contagious from person to person.

Typical Signs & Symptoms:

once an individual contracts dengue, the person manifests symptoms of the disease four to ten days later

fever (sudden onset)

intense headache (especially behind the eyes)

muscle and joint pains  ( I have muscle and joint pains everyday!!!!!)

flushed skin or rashes on the arms and legs

Symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever include all of the symptoms of classic dengue plus

Marked damage to blood and lymph vessels

Bleeding from the nose, gums, or under the skin, causing purplish bruises

Prevention:

maintaining clean and hygienic surroundings

keeping the grass trimmed  

discarding all water retaining receptacles and tyres that are in and around the house, capable of collecting water.

ensure good drainage of water on the roof guttering of the house and also for any pools of water within the residential compound or nearby

Mosquito repellants

Keeping unscreened windows and doors closed/using mosquito nets for sleeping

NEW ZEALAND.....here we come......

We are having fun planning our trip to New Zealand March 9-23.  We are excited to be seeing Dan and Donna Tartaglia for a couple of days on our venture.  We will be staying at homes, hostels, lodges, boats, and one resort.  We will be hiking, kayaking, sailing Milford Sound, climbing glaciers, whale watching, drinking wine, etc etc etc.  Many people tell us we will never come home after going to New Zealand!!!!!!  We look forward to the challenge!!!
   Karl and Carol are coming in before our trip.  They have been traveling a month thru Australia and New Zealand so we are looking forward to their visit.  We want them to drink kava, learn meke, snorkel and see our world.
   We just completed a two day Peace Corps training on electronic reporting to Washington.  Thank you taxpayers!  Our quarterly report is due next week!!!!!

VALENTINE DAY WEEKEND

It always rains in Fiji on Valentine Day weekend.  Joe and I found the 5 star hotel again.....(Thanks Will and Rebecca) and we enjoyed air conditioning, hot showers and good wine!  We also had a 50 minute couples Fiji Bobo Massage!!!!  The therapists told us it is similar to Swedish massage.   We still recommend a massage in Fernandina Beach Florida at WELL ONE!  We had a great weekend!

All About Fiji......

  Cannabilism.....Archeological research has shown that while Fiji has been occupied for more than 3000 years cannibalism probably started around 700 years ago.  Its start followed a fall in sea level which caused a large amount of reef areas to die off.  While no one knows why the people in Fiji took to eating each other; they became famous for it.  These were vicious and gruesome times, not only were people killed to be eaten, they were also killed for religious and ceremonial reasons.  Human sacrifice was common.
   The arrival of missionaries started the decline of the practices of human sacrifice and cannibalism.  But its cessation took some time and was dependent upon gaining the support of the major chiefs who often saw their role as being guardians of traditional customs.
   People to be eaten were called "bokola".  One of the most influential chiefs leading up to the cessation of cannibalism was Ratu Seru Cakobau.  Another  cannibal  was Ratu Udre Udre.  He is alleged to have eaten more than 900 people over his lifetime.

Yaqona....The people of Fiji have many cultural backgrounds rooted in faith, ethnicity, location and occupation.  But all share a multitude of common bonds of which include their friendliness, love of sport, especially rugby and soccer and in their national drink - yaqona.  Yagona is an intoxicant.  There are those who do not drink at all and there are those who drink too much..  It is part of a social and cultural way of life.  At formal ceremonial functions, weddings, funerals, at workplaces, parties, social gatherings, at home, or visiting friends, yaqona can be found almost everywhere!
   Originally brought to Fiji from Vanuata yaqona played and still plays an important ceremonial role in Fijian culture.  In former days yaqona was limited to chiefs.  Gradually its use spread but within traditional settings.  The plant is grown from cuttings and carefully tendered.  It requires good soil and ample water.  The active ingredient is found in the roots and lower stem of the plant.  It is usually grown for at least three years before being carefully removed from the soil so as to not damage the fine roots.  The longer the plant grows the bigger the root and the more valuable it becomes.  Once removed from the ground the roots and the base of the stem are detached from the rest of the plant.  The left over stem is used as cuttings and replanted.  The roots, called waka and the base of the stem, called lawena, are then sun dried in preparation for sale, with the wake being the more potent of the two.  Yaqona vendors and discerning drinkers know the different types of plant and area in which it was grown from its look and taste and each has a preference.
   The dried yaqona is pounded in a metal like mortar by an iron bar called a tabili until it is reduce to a fine powder.  The powder is then put into a cloth and mixed with water to release the active ingredient while separating the powder from the drink.  The traditional wooden basin that yaqona is mixed in is called a tanoa.  Once prepared the yaqona is served in cups called bills.  The taste is akin to muddy water!  The real purpose of a session round the yaqona tanoa is to relax, be happy, and talk with old friends while making new ones!

Languages of Fiji.....There are three hundred dialects of the Fijian language.  Language is one of the tools used by anthropologists to help determine the origins of people.  Fiji really is a cosmopolitan place.  In addition to the varieties of Fijian there are also spoken and written different versions of Hindi, there is also Urdu, English, Chinese and in some parts Tongan, Samoan and the language of Kiribati.  It is compulsory for school children to be taught English, Fijian and Hindi ands most locals are at least partially tri-lingual.  "b" is"mb"; "g" is "ng"; "d" is "nd"; "q" is "nag"; "j" is "ch".


Masi and Tabua....They are two defining aspects of traditional Fijian culture.  One is Masi, the cloth made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree (broussonetia papyrifera) and the other is Tabua, sperm whales' feet that are considered sacred.  While both Masi and Tabua have no real functional use in the modern world they are still highly regarded for their historical and cultural significance and are used in traditional ceremonies.  Today, the sale of the Tabua is strictly controlled but the presentation of Tabua is usually considered essential to mark respect on family, or state occasions and usually accompanies a request for marriage, to mark births and to mark the visits of high chiefs or important dignitaries.  Masi and Tabua are obvious aspects of Fijian culture.  While important in their own right their continued use also keeps alive associated aspects of culture and tradition that are thousands of years old.

People of Fiji.....As far as we know the earliest inhabitants of Fiji arrived at least 3000 years ago.  Their ancestors were from South East Asia, proving that the first settlers in Fiji had become great seafaring and voyaging people.  At a time before Rome became Rome they had mastered the winds and waves of the greatest ocean of the world to settle here.  These people are known to us as the Lapita people, named after the distinctive pottery they made and used by archaeologists to trace their migrations and settlement.  Today the population of Fiji is about 830,000 people.  Descendants of theses first settlers, indigenous Fijians comprises around 57% of the population.  Those of Indian descent make up around 37% while the remaining 6% are Europeans, Chinese and other people of Pacifica.

Fiji's Reefs.....Across the world, coral reefs and fisheries are in crisis.  Scientsts estimate that coral cover is declining by 1-2% per year across the Pacific.  Meanwhile, some projections indicate that important Pacific fish stocks such as tuna and coral reef associated species may collapse by 2035.  We hope not....more about that later.......

Find the Dead Mongoose!!!!!!!!!

Super Bowl was at 11:30AM Monday morning in Fiji.  Our friend Mary,  from Washington, who is an avid Sea Hawks fan went searching for a bar that showed the game!  We had to gag her before it was all over!!!!

Happy Birthday Mary....

Happy Birthday Rob......

French Toast and coffee on Sunday morning in Suva.......

We heat water in our tea kettle, put it in a basin and use it for our final shower rinse!!!

Ashley and Chelsea..............Silas..........

PICTURES.....

MORE CALIFORNIA......

                                      Ashni....

                                                                                                       Sheetal.....

Getting ready for a traditional Indian wedding....

                                                          Aji, Rajat's 94 year old mother.

HOUSES..... I have absolutely no idea how people live in small tin houses without electricity or refrigeration in this heat!

I shall always love the coconut trees......

Auntie, Tua and Caressi.....

 A Dead Mongoose!

Akisi....

George is scraping coconut.....

Lunch in the Community Hall of the village...

Soko and Nusoni....

Another Tattoo for Reagan....