Yesterday started with a rather amusing trip to the bus station in Nadi, where I intended to catch a bus to Suva (FD$10) but instead got waylaid by a persuasive taxi driver. Anyway, after waiting around for a while, we got enough people in the taxi to make it affordable, and off we went. As always, travelling like a local (albeit a wealthy one - most Fijians couldn't easily afford the $30 it cost us to get to Suva) was a good way to pick up a few tips on safety, and the conversations provided a wealth of information for my research. :)
So - once I'd got settled, I wandered about, went to a meeting, and then spent the afternoon bugging reception by making phone calls (phone calls have to be made by reception, and I made about 25 in the space of an hour!). Today I had back to back meetings...
I caught a glimpse of myself this morning and laughed, as I realised it only takes a day or two for me to pick up that solid walk, walking from the hips with arms swinging by my side...
Squatter settlements are clearly a growing problem in Fiji - it's all anyone will talk about with me (they're less interested in housing, sanitation etc in rural areas), and the numbers demonstrate why. I'm told that many of the resettlement programs are funded by aid - perhaps AusAID or NZAid (this is what I'm told, but I haven't confirmed it). Squatters are evicted (with some notice, it has to be said) and moved elsewhere...problem is, the new settlement often has plenty of physical infrastructure (water, roads etc) but no social infrastructure (schools, healthcare etc). On top of that is the fact that many of the squatters are single parent families, headed by women...in patriarchal and generally patrilineal Fiji, a woman estranged from her husband is particularly vulnerable, and with the exception of the lucky few, most have no option but to move to an urban centre and squat.
It's 5pm, which means I should be heading somewhere to eat and then catching a taxi back...I've only been here for a day and a half, but already I've been told numerous times not to wander the streets after about 5-5.30 pm. I've obviously never been here before, but there's plenty of anecdotal evidence as to how Suva has changed in the last decade. This shouldn't be a surprise -rapid urbanisation, growing poverty, and huge numbers of bored youth...what more could be expected?
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Check this out ... http://www.worldwrite.org.uk/ ...
WorldWrite screened its "film" 'Damned by Debt Relief' at Cambridge today (follow the links on the WorldWrite home page to see a preview). It was pretty controversial. Its premise (to put it politely) is that debt relief and debt cancellation is misguided. In fact it is highly critical of the debt "jamboree" headed by Bono and co. Filmed in Ghana, the main argument (and the film is an argument not a doco) is that the conditions of the relief/cancellation constrain development and reinforce helplessness, dependence and a sense of inferioirty amongst the Ghanaians. It makes a powerful point. I caused a little bit of controversy when I challenged the director of the NGO over the representatives of the views broadcast in the movie. Have a look. Almost all comment is made by English-speaking, educated, activist men. Women, the least literate and the poorest of Ghanaians barely get a look in.
Brad, see my latest post...I used to think Bono was the Messiah (well, maybe not quite) but I'm increasingly disillusioned by his antics, and those of other celebrities, as seen in the various concerts held around the world...including our own! I fear that the Make Poverty History campaign has been co-opted by the very culture it needs to fight - the short excerpts of the Melbourne concert I've seen had various "celebrities" pacing the stage like wannabe TV evangelists, with rhetoric that was equally shallow and naive. The emphasis of the campaign on the plight of Africans is equally frustrating - Africa has become to the aid and development world what dolphins, whales and green tree frogs are to environmentalists. Why are we not talking about Asia, the Pacific, South America? Why are we still hanging onto the words of celebs like Bono when they continue to lead such a lavish lifestyle - a lifestyle that could no EVER, even if economic systems allowed it, be enjoyed by the entire population. How can these celebrities kid themselves that they can speak with any authority on these issues when they continue to wear Manolo Blahniks, spend their holidays on yachts along expensive coastlines, and start their own high-fashion labels?!!
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