TYPES OF HOUSES
letter to the Editor of the Fiji Times: Paul Geraghty,Usp, Suva
| Thursday, March 3, 2016
In the wake of the recent cyclone, there has
been some discussions about the best type of house to withstand winds of such
force.
Well,
the photos published in The Fiji Times last week from Nanoko and Naibalebale in
Viwa (24/2, 26/2) show clearly that the vale vakaviti (traditional Fijian
house, known to some as bure) has done remarkably well.
All
seem to have come through relatively unscathed, and the one that appears to
have collapsed in Nanoko would have preserved the occupants well and not caused
harm to anyone.
One
vale vakaviti even withstood a large breadfruit tree falling on it.
Such
houses are not only relatively cyclone resistant, they are less likely to maim
and kill, as does flying roofing iron, are ideal in all weathers,
environmentally sustainable and aesthetically pleasing, and their manufacture
contributes to the maintenance of a tradition that enhances social cohesion and
encourages pride in workmanship.
Yet I
will wager that not one government department or NGO is urging or helping
people to build this type of house. While preserving our heritage and using
what is locally available is preached in other areas, in house-building we seem
determined to kill traditional knowledge and make future generations dependent
on hardware stores.
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