As far as I know the only courses in Fiji in Visual Arts are at the Nasinu Training college and at FIT. This is an untapped resource in Fiji as it could become part of a lucrative industry related to tourism. Already screen printing has developed to a high standard (and at the lower end of the scale, some of the sulus tourists purchase are not well-designed).
Tomorrow is Open Day at the FIT in Suva. To my way of thinking, technical education at a tertiary level can be much more useful than theoretical studies at a university.
I have heard that they offer a music course now at FIT as well. In the future - Script-writing and Acting - so that gives young people even more options for careers. Even working as an Extra can be lucrative. Peceli did a voiceover for Pacific Blue and got $500 for an hour's work! Though usually an Extra in Oz might get about $100 a day. I wonder what the Fiji actors get when movies are made in the Pacific Harbour region?
And best of all is the artwork produced at the Oceania Centre at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. The Red Wave catalogue takes a while to download but it gives examples of wonderful South Pacific paintings. (Code doesn't work properly for me but a google search should find it.)
FIT Gears up for Open Day
From Fiji Village June 7th
The school of Hair Dressing and Visual Arts will be one of the features at the Fiji Institute of Technology open day tomorrow. Director Kolinio Meo said the two new fields will be in demand in the future and they want to let people know what Hair Dressing and Visual Arts is all about.
He also adds that another new course is script writing and acting to cater for the booming movie industry in Fiji.
That's wonderful. Creativity and income sources that have great potential without negative impacts.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Entertainment Law should be another avenue for lawyers in Fiji instead of the usual criminal, corporate law.
ReplyDeleteAnd perhaps force Fiji TV to have a local content quota on all their broadcasted programs; with severe monetary penalties.
Force Vodaphone to use local music in their ringtones; with the royalties paid to Fiji Performing Artists Association.
Yes Panda, a great potential there. The artists from that centre at USP actually went to England to promote their work. Every time I go to Suva I visit the USP and look at current artwork at the Oceania Centre. The manager is an interesting guy, a Tongan, who left academia to write very funny books. (I used to teach art in Fiji and the students then did interesting work with very limited resources.)
ReplyDeleteLaminar,
That copyright bug. When we copy tapes, etc. these days the original writers/musicians might get very little reward. Actually it's the publishers that make the fuss about copying printed music in Australia and some churches got fined for photocopying stuff for their choirs. In our parish, we pay an annual fee to two copyright places to cover the use of making overheads etc. Now with data projectors and powerpoint presentations you can get so much stuff of the web and who is going to police all of that?
W.
Its fair use doctrine. Use for your own use, put not for commercial gain.
ReplyDeleteFor religous songs, I guess the music also is fair use.
There is also royalty agencies that police these matters and also litigate them.