Perceptive glance of Pasifika time and well-being

Is it really Fiji time? To justify this quote, Fijians often refer to the international date line that runs through the 180th Meridian cutting across several islands in this Fijian group of Islands. So, to put this into perspective today could be tomorrow and this is often why they say “We’re on Fiji Time!” which often means “Don’t worry…we’ll get there eventually!”. 

So, what is the actual Fiji time? 

Is it what tourists see in their brochures or in the advertisements or is it often where the normal Fijian loses perspective of the “Fiji Me!” – (another commercialised Fiji Tourism quote) being disadvantaged by lost time and opportunities. But it is definitely hard to dismiss the smiles, saying “Bula”, or merely meandering through the long sandy beaches and being lost to peaceful sleep from the hushing lullaby of the cascading surf!

Yet in Fiji, itaukei Fijians are often reminded about how lost time often means lost opportunities. Our grandma’s often quote “O sa kila, na bera e cakacaka ni Tevoro!” Which means “being late is the devil’s work!” These have been sentiments shared from our older generation, who have seen a lot of change through modern development in the islands and in the process have been able to witness “indentured labour systems” brought about by colonial rule and paid labour systems where your time was rewarded with the coin. In “time-deficit” societies where capitalistic approach to tasks where “how big” is better than “how meaningful” has in some way diminished our thoughts on more meaningful interactions and in taking time to a least “watch the sun set!”

This was a far cry from our traditional perception of time where time and its responsibilities were often related to the seasons for example, June/July is often called the “Vula I Cukicuki” which means a time to till the yam beds or a day in the week, Friday often called “Vakaraubuka” which essentially means a day to prepare firewood. Their concept of time and labour were often relative to the seasons and labour-intensive tasks were easier because of the communal nature of our cultures. There was barely a notion of an individualistic gain, rather there was a more concerted approach toward bettering the community as means to develop everyone equally. However, with the demands of modernisation and development some of these traditions and cultures, that had been assumed outdated, has had a resurgence due the lack of sustainability of modern practices.

Last year I was able to hear the following interactions from some of the boys in my class – “Well good morning to you!” a student stated in class, “It’s the fourth period!” someone replied. After a brief thought “Well it must be morning somewhere in the world!” he quipped. This got me thinking, that time is definitely relative, wherever you might be in the world and despite the stresses of your situation, it might be a good time to do things together rather than alone. It might be a time to celebrate successes and trudge along together, when we are at our lowest, or maybe there is a need for a ME time! After all, there definitely could be some “Fiji Time” but in reality, we should be on “Dunedin Time” and in due time, I might be lucky to find my “Dunedin Me!”