tribewanted visit Kia Island

from w
There's an island west of Mali and Vorovoro Islands called Kia, not to be confused with Kioa which is near Rabi, north of Taveuni, and a home for migrant Tuvalu people.

I noticed in the tribewanted site that some of the guests on Vorovoro went to Kia and had a good time there. the people of Kia are experts in catching fish and turtles - not that the latter are on the menu much these days. Peceli has been in the Labasa area for two weeks but I don't think he had time to visit Vorovoro this time because he had so much to do about distribution of goods from the Geelong Rotary Donation in Kind container that we sent months ago to Labasa.

from the chief's blog:
KIA!

The hill on the horizon. The island of fish. The place where Api comes from. Kia.

Last time we made the cross-channel trip to Kia Island was with Chief Wildgeeza back in Janaury and Api and his family have been asking the tribe to return ever since.

Departing at dawn from Vorovoro we sped across the flat ocean in two fibre punts, landing on the white flour sandy beach of Ligau on the Western side of KIa an hour and a quarter later.

A morning session at the village primary school, was followed by a steep climb to Kia's rocky ridge. Steep, slippery scree and grass, the climb was a good physcial challenge for the tribe and built and appetite for the four meals we managed to eat during the day.

Tui Wasi (Ryan) and the Kia boys dived for our lunch and dinner; meals of fresh curried fish and soup was interspersed with games of rugby, playing with the children on the beach and a long night of kava and meke-ing before all passing out on one mat together.

As more members visit Vorovoro we hope to visit this stunning island and friendly people more, and start to support the school as we do in Mali. And everyone should climb that mountain.
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from Peceli
Yes, I did visit Vorovoro.
I met Ben the main man and he is the Tribe founder in Vorovoro. Vorovoro looks a million dollars in the moonlight. I was with 15 tribe members and more then 40 people welcoming and farewelling people in the traditional manner outside the front or the Fijian Bure. I visited my favourite spot where the turtles laid eggs more than fifty years ago as in Timaima's song. And they told me on Vorovoro that the turtles still lay eggs there, even just last two months ago. I later spent a night with Tui Mali in his house in Vuo village.

Tui Mali - re one year one for Tribewanted

from w
Though they didn't get the 5000 numbers tribewanted visionaries wanted, the first year has been very successful. As I wrote a year ago, I had in mind several good outcomes that could be achieved: - a positive interaction with Apenisa, the Tui Mali and the Mali Island community, a respect for protocol, an ecological based environment for visitors to Fiji, and an appropriate development on Vorovoro. This has all happened - not that some things were easy to achieve, but the visitors persisted in their program, the internet connections have worked - up to a point. I guess the frustration of rain and wind were taken as adventures perhaps rather than difficulties.

The Fiji Times reported as follows:
'Use your resource, Chief urges'
Use your resource, chief urges
Thursday, April 05, 2007.

A CHIEF from the northern division believes if indigenous communities help the expatriate community in projects that deal with resources, then villagers will reap the blessings. Tui Mali of Macuata, Apenisa Bogisa made the comments at the England-based 'Tribe Wanted' group's one year anniversary celebration on Vorovoro Island on Tuesday. "Since this group came to our island one year ago, the villagers and the school have benefited in many ways. We have a library and clean water supply from tanks provided by our visitors," Ratu Apenisa said.

"We have never regretted accepting them on the island to carry out their project and whenever we have a village soli, they are always there to help financially."
He said the group had employed more than 100 villagers and provided them with income that was helpful for their everyday needs. "The villagers employed by the group are men and women and it has helped them pay school fees, bills, and basic necessities," Ratu Apenisa said.

He said over the past year the group had also learnt traditional customs including dress code. "We have not had any problems with them when it comes to Fijian protocol because when they first arrived, we informed them about our protocol and they followed well ever since," Ratu Apenisa said.

Tribe Wanted founder Ben Keene said the purpose of the group's existence on the island was to experience the Fijian way of living. "And that means everything from living in Fijian bure, eating the Fijian food, going out fishing with Fijian men, learning how to make a lovo, planting cassava and other root crops, cooking and baking in a Fijian oven," Mr Keene said. "So far every member has enjoyed the life style and never wanted to return to their home countries."

The group had more than 1100 members and Mr Keene said a major part of their project was to help the community by directly assisting them whether it was financial or physical. "Some of our members have helped out in schools teaching the students how to speak the French language."

Mali and Vorovoro are located off the coast of Macuata. It takes a ten minute drive from Labasa to Malau and a five minute boat ride from Malau to Mali.

Some tourism operators have begun the homestay experience where tourists live with Fijian families and experience the true Fijian experience, eating Fijian food.
• Bengazi @ 23:07