October 1981
In the early 1980s, I tried a social experiment. Could ethnic prejudice be diminished through an experience of living in another community? The seminary pastoral year seemed an ideal time to check this out.
One of the first to volunteer for this experience was Vittori Buatava, a young Marist seminarian from Rewa. He and another seminarian spent seven weeks in intensive study of Fiji Hindi in Suva. He lived with an Indo-Fijian family, so he gradually got used to Indian cooking.
Some of his friends couldn’t see any point in what he was doing. He felt hurt when one said, “Heh! Your hands have the stink of curry about them.” He was encouraged though by the welcome he received from the family. “Don’t be shy. This is your house,” he was told.
Arriving in Naleba, in Vanua Levu, to stay with a rural family was a bigger test. It got on his nerves that neighbors were finding excuses to visit and stare at him. Taking part in the everyday work of the household helped him. He surprised the women by presenting them with a sack of freshly sawn timber for their kitchen fires.
“By being present at Indian weddings, films, festival, worship, burials and cane cutting I have learned many things. How people relate and react, their sorrows and joys are very different from Fijian culture. This experience helped me to grow a lot in my relationship with Indians. I have felt loved and have grown to love them,” Vittori reported.
Work on Sundays was a culture shock. I Taukei generally observe the Sabbath rest whereas Sunday has no special meaning for Hindus or Muslims. Sugar mills crush cane continuously so cane gangs must work on Sundays. Vittori feared that he might be asked to work on Sunday too. However, that did not happen.
He used to attend the weekly neighborhood prayer meeting. A talented singer, he quickly learned to sing and enjoy the Hindi hymns. “They are a very prayerful people as I witnessed in Karokaro on Sunday,” he said. “Before I went to bed I heard the husband and wife praying together in the next room even though we had all just come from a prayer meeting. Very early next morning I heard them praying again.”
Two eventful months came to an end. Vittori summed it up, “I have discovered that a lot of the harsh generalizations about Indians are just not true. I have been helped to reflect seriously on my past prejudices. A part of my life that was in darkness is now lit with the light of Christ. A conversion has taken place in my life.”
I was very happy to have accompanied Vittori in this adventure. We sat together every week and I helped him explore and understand his experiences. Not only did he learn about Indo-Fijians and their culture, he learnt about himself too.