Villages in Macuata

from w
Before the Labasa tourism guys start to think of promoting Vuo and Naduri they need to identify what tourists coming on these boats really want? and where they've been in other days on the cruise e.g. Savusavu, an island or two. Do they want to go shopping, see Indian culture, visit a village? There may be a prettier village near Savusavu. Naduri also is rather far away from Malau where the tourist boat will be. Vuo is close of course but it's not your 'idealised' bures around a splendid green as in the old postcards. However the people of Vuo, especially Tui Mali, are very used to visitors as they were host to the tribewanted eco-tourism project on Vorovoro Island for a few years and many of those visitors came to Vuo as they established a relationship with Tui Mali and the workers at Vorovoro.

About Naduri village - Do tourists really want to see a site of old posts of the chief's bure with a dramatic story of the past, as at Naduri? We've been told one version of the building of it by a senior gentleman from Naseakula, Sakaria, who has now passed on, but I wonder if ordinary tourists would be interested. However the people of Naduri and Seaqaqa nearby do splendid mekes and ceremonies - (several stories on this blog about these) and also their advocacy for keeping the Great Sea Reef healthy and also saving the turtles would be a point of interest.

I think a picnic in a good park in Labasa town with stalls might be better. What about Naseakula village - there's no mention of that. And no mention of Mali Island and Vorovoro, a short boat trip away, but of course tourists might be worried about getting back on time.
from Fiji Times today:
Village groups to promote culture
Serafina Silaitoga
Monday, February 20, 2012
VILLAGE tourism committees have been formed to enhance the promotion of the Fijian culture in tourism.

Labasa Tourism Committee president Paul Jaduram said Vuo and Naduri villages in the province of Macuata were the first to set up the committees.

"We have just formed a committee in the village of Vuo and we discussed some areas they need to beautify in the village for our tourists.

"The village committee will have to put up some items that identify the Fijian culture and they can organise other activities such as weaving of mats and meke," Mr Jaduram said.

He said the next cruise liner would arrive in April.

"We have chosen Vuo because it was the first establishment of workforce in Labasa with the hospital built there.

"At that time there was no Labasa town and not much developments had taken place so a bit of a history for our visitors would be good," Mr Jaduram said.

He said a clean up program in Naduri Village had begun.

"I have spoken with the Tui Macuata Ratu Aisea Katonivere and he informed me that they are cleaning up the area and would do more work in the village before we can take our visitors there," Mr Jaduram said.

Fiji kids and reading

from w
In some Fiji villages and farm settlements there is a real scarcity of reading material and even in many schools in Fiji. Despite the numerous donations from overseas by groups such as Rotary, there still is a need for more books and apparently small libraries in villages. In Vuo village near Malau Port out of Labasa, the poor reading skills of the children was noticed and something was done about it with the establishment of a small library, table and chairs. Not that children need chairs - I have noticed that children can still read lying flat on the floor! The main point is of course appropriate reading material.

Here in Geelong we sort books every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to pack into containers for Fiji (though a glitch in Fiji customs has stopped that at present by demanding high duty rates even on secondhand goods), Papua New Guinea, etc. But I wonder if some of the books such as sets of encyclopaedias with small print are really helpful for primary school students. Sometimes we pack really beautiful books, but at other times, the books are a bit old. Anyway, good on you Vuo for the initiative at the local level.

Of course the eco-tourism visitors to Vorovoro over three years have given many books to the school on nearby Mali Island. Way to go.

Village library lifts literacy
from Fiji Sun
writer : SHRATIKA NAIDU
6/29/2011
Children of Vuo Village in Labasa received a boost to their literacy with the establishment of a village library. The need for a library was highlighted by the Vuo Bhartiya Primary School headteacher Bal Sanju Reddy. The library was part of the school’s community outreach programme and was set up with the assistance of the Ministry of Information’s Department of Library Services.

Children of Vuo village in Labasa now have a table to study on and access to educational information after the successful establishment of a library yesterday. The need for a library set-up was raised by the school management and Vuo village community with the Ministry of Information’s Department of Library Services. “There are about 32 preschool students and primary school students in Vuo Village that attend my school,’’ Mr Reddy said.

He said these students in the past usually gathered every afternoon from school under a bure in the village to do their assignment. “Students used to sit on the floor to study in an overcrowded room since there was no study table and chairs,” Mr Reddy said. He said thanks to the Department of Library Services not only do the children have a table to place their books for study but now they have a library to access needed information.

“Now the children don’t have to pay extra money to travel to Labasa Town to gather information from the libraries to compile their projects instead they can visit their doorstep library,” Mr Reddy said. Mr Reddy said this library would not only serve the Vuo village students but also the other nearby school students.

Department of Library Services project officer Vasenai Bai said in the library one can find fiction books, non-fiction books, reference collection and Pacific collection. “In the library we had placed a big table that can cater 12 students and an issue desk,” Miss Bai said.

She said also she had placed a blackboard, compiled Fiji Focus special lift outs from the Fiji Sun newspaper and put up numerical charts on the walls.
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There are some lovely photos of the people of Vuo village on flickr so a google search of 'Fiji Day Vuo Village' will find the photos taken (probably) by one of the tribewanted visitors to Vorovoro Island. I wasn't allowed to download them!