Among the four television stations I get in my motel room in Suva, via a satellite dish out back that is larger than my room, is ZeeTV, an Indian satellite network that my parents and many other South Asian Americans—scratch that, Indians all over the world—get for their regular fix of Bollywood films and music videos. The prominence of Indian popular culture should come as no surprise in a country that is 44 percent Indian. The post-colonial history of Fiji is littered with strife between Indo-Fijians, some of whom who have been in Fiji for more than four generations, and the indigenous Fijians, who are Melanesian, or darker-skinned Pacific people. In fact, this conflict appears to be the defining characteristic of economics and politics here since independence.
Most of these Indians came to Fiji to cut sugar cane in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when both Fiji and India were British colonies. With few prospects when their five-year contracts were up, some stayed in Fiji. Prevented from owning land by local laws and largely alienated from indigenous Fijian society, many started small businesses or took jobs in the colonial bureaucracy. With time, the community built a measure of political and economic clout, but true social integration with the Fijians never really happened.
Independence came in 1970 and the racial divisions in Fiji persisted. Things went haywire—try to keep up here—in 1987, when there were two violent coups within just four months led by an indigenous Fijian group, called Taukei, that alleged that the government was dominated and controlled by Indo-Fijians. Following the coups many Indo-Fijians left. Even more left after a new constitution drafted in 1990 was heavily stacked for indigenous Fijians. A 1997 revision made it more equitable and then a coalition government came to power in 1999. Swell, right? The progress was short-lived. The next year saw yet another coup in which government offices were stormed and the Indo-Fijian prime minister was taken hostage. The 1997 constitution got revoked, but then later the rebels were arrested on charges of treason, after they were tricked by the military commander into threatening the life of president when they were unhappy with the choice of prime minister. So then the last coup was ruled invalid. Whew. I lost my train of thought. What was I talking about again?
The upshot of all of this is that indigenous Fijians now control most of the government, tourism went in the tank and more Indians—especially those professionals who can afford it—have left. And while I have seen indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians both rich and poor here, I can’t begin to pretend to understand what the current racial/political situation is here right now except to say that it is probably still a very touchy subject. From all I’ve read, it sounds like just a matter of time until there is another coup.
Despite the problems, it appears Fiji is growing into its role as a hub and leader in the South Pacific. While it may be smaller than New Jersey, it is the biggest island country and economy in the South Pacific, many regional bodies reside in Suva and Nadi is a major travel hub. If the country could ever sort itself out, it might grow into some kind of regional powerhouse and people might start flooding back to its great beaches from all over the world.
I saw a bunch of these beaches on the five-hour bus ride from Lautoka to Suva. They certainly look nice, but I’m much more interested in what’s under that calm blue surface. Tomorrow I might go hunting for dive shops and travel agents that can get me to some of the other islands, which are where the best diving is supposed to be.
Also, today I met with some great people from the journalism program at the University of the South Pacific. We’ve already got some plans in motion and they’ve been incredibly helpful already. More on that visit later.
Most of these Indians came to Fiji to cut sugar cane in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when both Fiji and India were British colonies. With few prospects when their five-year contracts were up, some stayed in Fiji. Prevented from owning land by local laws and largely alienated from indigenous Fijian society, many started small businesses or took jobs in the colonial bureaucracy. With time, the community built a measure of political and economic clout, but true social integration with the Fijians never really happened.
Independence came in 1970 and the racial divisions in Fiji persisted. Things went haywire—try to keep up here—in 1987, when there were two violent coups within just four months led by an indigenous Fijian group, called Taukei, that alleged that the government was dominated and controlled by Indo-Fijians. Following the coups many Indo-Fijians left. Even more left after a new constitution drafted in 1990 was heavily stacked for indigenous Fijians. A 1997 revision made it more equitable and then a coalition government came to power in 1999. Swell, right? The progress was short-lived. The next year saw yet another coup in which government offices were stormed and the Indo-Fijian prime minister was taken hostage. The 1997 constitution got revoked, but then later the rebels were arrested on charges of treason, after they were tricked by the military commander into threatening the life of president when they were unhappy with the choice of prime minister. So then the last coup was ruled invalid. Whew. I lost my train of thought. What was I talking about again?
The upshot of all of this is that indigenous Fijians now control most of the government, tourism went in the tank and more Indians—especially those professionals who can afford it—have left. And while I have seen indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians both rich and poor here, I can’t begin to pretend to understand what the current racial/political situation is here right now except to say that it is probably still a very touchy subject. From all I’ve read, it sounds like just a matter of time until there is another coup.
Despite the problems, it appears Fiji is growing into its role as a hub and leader in the South Pacific. While it may be smaller than New Jersey, it is the biggest island country and economy in the South Pacific, many regional bodies reside in Suva and Nadi is a major travel hub. If the country could ever sort itself out, it might grow into some kind of regional powerhouse and people might start flooding back to its great beaches from all over the world.
I saw a bunch of these beaches on the five-hour bus ride from Lautoka to Suva. They certainly look nice, but I’m much more interested in what’s under that calm blue surface. Tomorrow I might go hunting for dive shops and travel agents that can get me to some of the other islands, which are where the best diving is supposed to be.
Also, today I met with some great people from the journalism program at the University of the South Pacific. We’ve already got some plans in motion and they’ve been incredibly helpful already. More on that visit later.
posted by Samir S. Patel at 9:15 PM
1 Comments:
I think people haven't been taking too much notice of me--until I open my mouth, I think they may assume I am Indo-Fijian or their eyes just pass over me. When they learn I am American, most just ask all the normal questions of curiosity. This is also in part because Suva is a pretty international city and expats, foreign diplomatic employees and tourists. So I am not sure what American identity does to their perceptions of me. All the Fijians, Indian or indigenous, have been polite to me, and a few of the Indo-Fijians I have met mention that on a day-to-day basis they live and work happily alongside indigenous Fijians. But at mention of racial difficulties, they giggle nervously or become strangely silent.
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