Viti levu, Fiji

The Unlikely Sharing of Viti Levu Island


All aboard
Fijian and Indo-Fijian passengers share a city bus from the capital Suva.
India away from India
Indo-Fijian peasants sell vegetables at Ba market.
South Pacific Shallow
Idyllic coastline of an island off Viti Levu.
Pink Suva
Passersby pass under colorful arcades on a street in Suva, the capital of Fiji.
Viti Levu Rural
Peasant of Indian origin with two of his cows in the northern interior of Viti Levu.
Shaved Mountains
First northern elevations of Viti Levu, still far below the Nausori Highlands inland.
in the comfort of home
Young family at their home on the outskirts of Suva.
Country House
Rural house among palm trees in the northeast of Viti Levu.
usual seat
Two young Fijians rest outside a store.
inland sea
Green inland cove on the northeast coast of Viti Levu.
Pasture under coconut trees
Cow grazes in front of one of Viti Levu's many coconut groves.
Fiji Treasure Island
Aerial view of Treasure island, one of several off the north coast of Fiji.
Maternal Protection
Mother and daughter of Fijian ethnicity under a rain hat of all colors.
calm water swimming
Natives bathe next to a sailboat moored at the entrance to Suva.
lone passenger
A resident of Suva is aboard a colorful bus from the capital.
submerged island
Aerial perspective of a sandbar off the northern coast of Viti Levu.
juvenile bandit
Fijian children improvise poses in a village on the outskirts of Suva.
Suva Gaji Road
A gaudy bus runs along a street in Suva.
Irrigated Scenery
Tight meanders of a muddy river north of Viti Levu.
Nadovi Shopping Center
Owners of a small store in Nadovi with an ambitious name.
In the heart of the South Pacific, a large community of Indian descendants recruited by former British settlers and the Melanesian indigenous population have long divided the chief island of Fiji.

Upon arrival in Viti Levu, we found Nadi airport overloaded.

It's full of Oceanian families eager to land on the sunbeds of the offshore resorts, but also relaxed and unhurried backpackers.

Nadi clashes with the imagery that most western visitors have in their minds. Cement and asphalt predominate, broken only by small clearings of tropical vegetation fought over by flocks of corvids from the tropics.

Newcomers to this urban environment, we are amazed to see how Fiji's modernized Indo-Fijian community thrives. Countless rent-a-cars, hotels and inns, shops and restaurants are in the hands of families with forgotten relatives in the subcontinent.

They have names that leave no doubt: Singh Motel, Narwhal Tours or Shandilya Flowers.

Nadovi Shopping Centre, Viti Levu Island Sharing, Fiji

Owners of a small store in Nadovi with an ambitious name.

“We understand that it's fascinating for you that we've ended up here so far away, but it was fate…” Sharmila assures us, as she passes the mop by the dashboard of the vehicle that is unprepared for the muddy country roads, which she was about to hand over. “We have had a new reality for a long time.

And every time things around here get more shaky, our minds turn to Australia or New Zealand, not exactly India. We have family members both Aussies and Kiwis. I personally didn't mind moving at all.”

Indian House, Viti Levu Island Sharing, Fiji

Rural house among palm trees in the northeast of Viti Levu.

Indigenous Melanesian Fijians and British Recruited Indians

Today, the coexistence of Indo-Fijians with the more commercially low-key Melanesians is often challenged by the political and economic interests of the country's leaders.

Indo-Fijians, more skilled in the art of lobbying, win election after election, sometimes in coalition with Fijian representatives. But all too often, the predominantly Fijian military rejects submission to the “invaders” and carries out corrective coups d'état.

From 1987 to date, there have been three. The first caused the expulsion – temporary but long – of Fiji from the Commonwealth. The following almost gave rise to civil wars and new expulsions from the English-speaking community.

And yet, the political coexistence of both ethnicities is both living and changing testimony to Fiji's colonial past.

Fijian and Indo-Fijian passengers share a city bus from the capital Suva

In the middle of the XNUMXth century, English settlers were already infiltrating important sections of the main islands of the archipelago. Little by little, they covered them with plantations of sugar cane, cotton and tobacco, in which they enslaved indigenous people who had been kidnapped in the present-day Solomon and Vanuatu Islands.

Sugar cane, in particular, expanded immeasurably and required more and more cutters which the settlers could no longer obtain on the surrounding islands as slave labor had meanwhile been banned in Britain.

Contracts That Expatriate Indian Workers Forever

As an alternative, the British resorted to the inexhaustible labor of the Crown Jewel. Between 1879 and 1916, more than 60.000 Indians were legally brought to Fiji.

The five-year contracts signed were initially seen by the signatories as divine blessings but that perception changed at a glance in the face of the cruelty of work and the miserable living conditions in general, aggravated by long non-payments and overcrowded accommodation, shared by members of different castes and religions.

After the deadlines, most of the girmityas (girmit means agreement) decided or were forced to remain in Fiji. Many families came from India to join them.

Suva, Viti Levu Island Sharing, Fiji

Passersby cross under colorful arcades on a street in Suva, the capital of Fiji

The sequel to this forced immigration forever altered the country's ethnic landscape. Today, with nearly a million inhabitants, Fiji is home to more than 40% Indo-Fijians.

As we drive around Viti Levu, we see how, as a social counterpoint to the Indo-Fijian city dwellers of Nadi and Lautoka, small nuclei remain in the rural interior.

They till the lands that still exist, faithful to their original existence and to the culture of the mother country, which is around 11.000 km away.

Farmer, Viti Levu Island Sharing, Fiji

Peasant of Indian origin with two of his cows in the northern interior of Viti Levu.

India Far from India by Viti Levu

As is the case in certain parts of India, in order to spread their faith and avoid confusion, also in Viti Levu, Hindu families make their mark. your houses with small red flags, while Muslim women paint them preferentially with the green and white of Islam.

In markets, women wrapped in gaudy saris sell fruits and vegetables while Muslim men continue to wear their salwaar-kameez dresses.

Indo-Fijian peasants sell vegetables at Ba market.

The cuisine has changed little, sustained by an unavoidable passion for rotis served directly from the homemade ovens, for spicy curries accompanied by rice and followed by traditional Mithai sweets.

Leisure times, too, continue to follow the fashions of Mumbai and New Delhi, which new technologies now allow to follow with relative ease.

Almost without exception, Hindu cinemas in the main towns regularly show Bollywood classics and new hits and, in their fans' homes, DVD's repeat them over and over again as well as the strident soundtracks.

These and other habits of the Indo-Fijian community coexisted over time with the island's original way of life. But not everyone recognizes or approves of the nation's partition.

And the Melanesian Fijians Who Have Been Forced to Welcome the Indians

A visibly Melanesian young couple invites us to their humble home north of Suva. There, conversation starts, we ask him if Indo-Fijians do not live in the village. To which they respond with a smile on their lips but with determination: “In Suva, Nadi and Lautoka, that even happens but, in villages, it is rare.

Fijian Family, Viti Levu Island Sharing, Fiji

Young family at their home on the outskirts of Suva.

As a rule, we live among Fijians, they live among Indo-Fijians. Even between them there would be problems if they mixed in an unthought-of way. They can be Indo-Fijian Hindus or Muslims.

then are calcutta (from north India) or madrassis (from south India). And to top it off, Hindus still belong to different castes. The truth is, it's a miracle there's no more confusion between them and between them and us.”

In addition to watching together some sports, cultural events and other special occasions for a long time, the two groups interacted very little. Their educational, social and economic priorities have always been different.

As a result, a large proportion of Fijians continue to consider Indo-Fijians vulagi, which is how to say, mere intruders. Occasionally, tempers heat up, but the most common conflicts are political-military ones.

It is clear that, as modernity takes over the country, integration becomes stronger and, even if only in the form of exceptions, it shuffles all the rules.

Mother and daughter, Viti Levu Island Sharing, Fiji

Mother and daughter of Fijian ethnicity under a rain hat of all colors.

Fijian women began wearing sari patterned jewelry and fabrics. Some of their families are also caught up in Bollywood fever to the point where certain recent “Indian” hits have been recorded by indigenous artists.

These, in turn, can hear us in bars where Fijian servants serve drinks from curry bowls, just as the Indo-Fijian community does in their homes.

And, as we followed, in the meantime from the edge of Kings Road, on a rainy afternoon, young Indo-Fijians are also joining rugby, until recently a colonial heritage exclusive to the natives.

Viti levu, Fiji

Cannibalism and Hair, Fiji Islands' Old Pastimes

For 2500 years, anthropophagy has been part of everyday life in Fiji. In more recent centuries, the practice has been adorned by a fascinating hair cult. Luckily, only vestiges of the latest fashion remain.
Navala, Fiji

Fiji's Tribal Urbanism

Fiji has adapted to the invasion of travelers with westernized hotels and resorts. But in the highlands of Viti Levu, Navala keeps its huts carefully aligned.
Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Naghol: Bungee Jumping without Modern Touches

At Pentecost, in their late teens, young people launch themselves from a tower with only lianas tied to their ankles. Bungee cords and harnesses are inappropriate fussiness from initiation to adulthood.
Honiara e Gizo, Solomon Islands

The Profaned Temple of the Solomon Islands

A Spanish navigator baptized them, eager for riches like those of the biblical king. Ravaged by World War II, conflicts and natural disasters, the Solomon Islands are far from prosperity.
LifouLoyalty Islands

The Greatest of the Loyalties

Lifou is the island in the middle of the three that make up the semi-francophone archipelago off New Caledonia. In time, the Kanak natives will decide if they want their paradise independent of the distant metropolis.
Efate, Vanuatu

The Island That Survived "Survivor"

Much of Vanuatu lives in a blessed post-savage state. Maybe for this, reality shows in which aspirants compete Robinson Crusoes they settled one after the other on their most accessible and notorious island. Already somewhat stunned by the phenomenon of conventional tourism, Efate also had to resist them.
Wala, Vanuatu

Cruise ship in Sight, the Fair Settles In

In much of Vanuatu, the days of the population's “good savages” are behind us. In times misunderstood and neglected, money gained value. And when the big ships with tourists arrive off Malekuka, the natives focus on Wala and billing.
Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu

The Mysterious Blue Holes of Espiritu Santo

Humanity recently rejoiced with the first photograph of a black hole. In response, we decided to celebrate the best we have here on Earth. This article is dedicated to blue holes from one of Vanuatu's blessed islands.
Viti levu, Fiji

Islands on the edge of Islands

A substantial part of Fiji preserves the agricultural expansions of the British colonial era. In the north and off the large island of Viti Levu, we also came across plantations that have only been named for a long time.
Melbourne, Australia

An "Asienated" Australia

Cultural capital aussie, Melbourne is also frequently voted the best quality of life city in the world. Nearly a million eastern emigrants took advantage of this immaculate welcome.
Rhinoceros, PN Kaziranga, Assam, India
Safari
PN Kaziranga, India

The Indian Monoceros Stronghold

Situated in the state of Assam, south of the great Brahmaputra river, PN Kaziranga occupies a vast area of ​​alluvial swamp. Two-thirds of the rhinocerus unicornis around the world, there are around 100 tigers, 1200 elephants and many other animals. Pressured by human proximity and the inevitable poaching, this precious park has not been able to protect itself from the hyperbolic floods of the monsoons and from some controversies.
Mount Lamjung Kailas Himal, Nepal, altitude sickness, mountain prevent treat, travel
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

We woke up in Chame, still below 3000m. There we saw, for the first time, the snowy and highest peaks of the Himalayas. From there, we set off for another walk along the Annapurna Circuit through the foothills and slopes of the great mountain range. towards Upper Banana.
hacienda mucuyche, Yucatan, Mexico, canal
Architecture & Design
Yucatan, Mexico

Among Haciendas and Cenotes, through the History of Yucatan

Around the capital Merida, for every old hacienda henequenera there's at least one cenote. As happened with the semi-recovered Hacienda Mucuyché, together, they form some of the most sublime places in southeastern Mexico.

Totems, Botko Village, Malekula, Vanuatu
Adventure
Malekula, Vanuatu

Meat and Bone Cannibalism

Until the early XNUMXth century, man-eaters still feasted on the Vanuatu archipelago. In the village of Botko we find out why European settlers were so afraid of the island of Malekula.
Christmas scene, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Ceremonies and Festivities
Shillong, India

A Christmas Selfiestan at an India Christian Stronghold

December arrives. With a largely Christian population, the state of Meghalaya synchronizes its Nativity with that of the West and clashes with the overcrowded Hindu and Muslim subcontinent. Shillong, the capital, shines with faith, happiness, jingle bells and bright lighting. To dazzle Indian holidaymakers from other parts and creeds.
Manaus Theater, Brazil
Cities
manaus, Brazil

The Jumps and Starts of the former World Rubber Capital

From 1879 to 1912, only the Amazon River basin generated the latex that, from one moment to another, the world needed and, out of nowhere, Manaus became one of the most advanced cities on the face of the Earth. But an English explorer took the tree to Southeast Asia and ruined pioneer production. Manaus once again proved its elasticity. It is the largest city in the Amazon and the seventh in Brazil.
Meal
Margilan, Uzbekistan

An Uzbekistan's Breadwinner

In one of the many bakeries in Margilan, worn out by the intense heat of the tandyr oven, the baker Maruf'Jon works half-baked like the distinctive traditional breads sold throughout Uzbekistan
Obese resident of Tupola Tapaau, a small island in Western Samoa.
Culture
Tonga, Western Samoa, Polynesia

XXL Pacific

For centuries, the natives of the Polynesian islands subsisted on land and sea. Until the intrusion of colonial powers and the subsequent introduction of fatty pieces of meat, fast food and sugary drinks have spawned a plague of diabetes and obesity. Today, while much of Tonga's national GDP, Western Samoa and neighbors is wasted on these “western poisons”, fishermen barely manage to sell their fish.
Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Sport
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
Gyantse, Kumbum temple
Traveling
Lhasa a Gyantse, Tibet

Gyantse, through the Heights of Tibet

The final target is the Tibetan Everest Base Camp. On this first route, starting from Lhasa, we pass by the sacred lake of Yamdrok (4.441m) and the glacier of the Karo gorge (5.020m). In Gyantse, we surrender to the Tibetan-Buddhist splendor of the old citadel.
San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Zapatismo, Mexico, San Nicolau Cathedral
Ethnic
San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico

The Home Sweet Home of Mexican Social Conscience

Mayan, mestizo and Hispanic, Zapatista and tourist, country and cosmopolitan, San Cristobal has no hands to measure. In it, Mexican and expatriate backpacker visitors and political activists share a common ideological demand.
portfolio, Got2Globe, Travel photography, images, best photographs, travel photos, world, Earth
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Portfolio Got2globe

The Best in the World – Got2Globe Portfolio

Entrance porch in Ellikkalla, Uzbekistan
History
Uzbekistan

Journey through the Uzbekistan Pseudo-Roads

Centuries passed. Old and run-down Soviet roads ply deserts and oases once traversed by caravans from the Silk RoadSubject to their yoke for a week, we experience every stop and incursion into Uzbek places, into scenic and historic road rewards.
Ilha do Mel, Paraná, Brazil, beach
Islands
Ilha do Mel, Paraná, Brazil

The Sweetened Paraná of ​​Ilha do Mel

Located at the entrance to the vast Bay of Paranaguá, Ilha do Mel is praised for its nature reserve and for the best beaches in the Brazilian state of Paraná. In one of them, a fortress built by D. José I resists time and tides.
St. Trinity Church, Kazbegi, Georgia, Caucasus
Winter White
Kazbegi, Georgia

God in the Caucasus Heights

In the 4000th century, Orthodox religious took their inspiration from a hermitage that a monk had erected at an altitude of 5047 m and perched a church between the summit of Mount Kazbek (XNUMXm) and the village at the foot. More and more visitors flock to these mystical stops on the edge of Russia. Like them, to get there, we submit to the whims of the reckless Georgia Military Road.
silhouette and poem, Cora coralina, Goias Velho, Brazil
Literature
Goiás Velho, Brazil

The Life and Work of a Marginal Writer

Born in Goiás, Ana Lins Bretas spent most of her life far from her castrating family and the city. Returning to its origins, it continued to portray the prejudiced mentality of the Brazilian countryside
Amboseli National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Normatior Hill
Nature
Amboseli National Park, Kenya

A Gift from the Kilimanjaro

The first European to venture into these Masai haunts was stunned by what he found. And even today, large herds of elephants and other herbivores roam the pastures irrigated by the snow of Africa's biggest mountain.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Glass Bottom Boats, Kabira Bay, Ishigaki
Natural Parks
Ishigaki, Japan

The Exotic Japanese Tropics

Ishigaki is one of the last islands in the stepping stone that stretches between Honshu and Taiwan. Ishigakijima is home to some of the most amazing beaches and coastal scenery in these parts of the Pacific Ocean. More and more Japanese who visit them enjoy them with little or no bathing.
Mahé Ilhas das Seychelles, friends of the beach
UNESCO World Heritage
Mahé, Seychelles

The Big Island of the Small Seychelles

Mahé is the largest of the islands of the smallest country in Africa. It's home to the nation's capital and most of the Seychellois. But not only. In its relative smallness, it hides a stunning tropical world, made of mountainous jungle that merges with the Indian Ocean in coves of all sea tones.
Heroes Acre Monument, Zimbabwe
Characters
Harare, Zimbabwewe

The Last Rales of Surreal Mugabué

In 2015, Zimbabwe's first lady Grace Mugabe said the 91-year-old president would rule until the age of 100 in a special wheelchair. Shortly thereafter, it began to insinuate itself into his succession. But in recent days, the generals have finally precipitated the removal of Robert Mugabe, who has replaced him with former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Boat and helmsman, Cayo Los Pájaros, Los Haitises, Dominican Republic
Beaches
Samaná PeninsulaLos Haitises National Park Dominican Republic

From the Samaná Peninsula to the Dominican Haitises

In the northeast corner of the Dominican Republic, where Caribbean nature still triumphs, we face an Atlantic much more vigorous than expected in these parts. There we ride on a communal basis to the famous Limón waterfall, cross the bay of Samaná and penetrate the remote and exuberant “land of the mountains” that encloses it.
orthodox procession
Religion
Suzdal, Russia

Centuries of Devotion to a Devoted Monk

Euthymius was a fourteenth-century Russian ascetic who gave himself body and soul to God. His faith inspired Suzdal's religiosity. The city's believers worship him as the saint he has become.
Back in the sun. San Francisco Cable Cars, Life Ups and Downs
On Rails
San Francisco, USA

San Francisco Cable Cars: A Life of Highs and Lows

A macabre wagon accident inspired the San Francisco cable car saga. Today, these relics work as a charm operation in the city of fog, but they also have their risks.
A kind of portal
Society
Little Havana, USA

Little Havana of the Nonconformists

Over the decades and until today, thousands of Cubans have crossed the Florida Straits in search of the land of freedom and opportunity. With the US a mere 145 km away, many have gone no further. His Little Havana in Miami is today the most emblematic neighborhood of the Cuban diaspora.
Saksun, Faroe Islands, Streymoy, warning
Daily life
Saksun, streymoyFaroe Islands

The Faroese Village That Doesn't Want to be Disneyland

Saksun is one of several stunning small villages in the Faroe Islands that more and more outsiders visit. It is distinguished by the aversion to tourists of its main rural owner, author of repeated antipathies and attacks against the invaders of his land.
Maria Jacarés, Pantanal Brazil
Wildlife
Miranda, Brazil

Maria dos Jacarés: the Pantanal shelters such Creatures

Eurides Fátima de Barros was born in the interior of the Miranda region. 38 years ago, he settled in a small business on the side of BR262 that crosses the Pantanal and gained an affinity with the alligators that lived on his doorstep. Disgusted that once upon a time the creatures were being slaughtered there, she began to take care of them. Now known as Maria dos Jacarés, she named each of the animals after a soccer player or coach. It also makes sure they recognize your calls.
Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii Wrinkles
Scenic Flights
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.