People of African heritage can be found all over the globe. From the motherland to the U.S., the Caribbean, South America and Europe. Before, the South Pacific didn’t come to mind when I thought about our great diaspora. After my trip to Fiji, where I learned about the original black inhabitants who turned this paradise into a South Pacific hub, it was all I could think about.
My 10-hour flight from L.A. had given me plenty of time to fantasize about this small exotic country in the vast Pacific Ocean. Fiji is a peaceful, waterbound nation consisting of some 300 islets, half of which are inhabited. The smaller isles are clustered around two larger islands, Vanua Levu to the north and the more-populous Viti Levu to the south. My plane landed on Viti Levu’s western coast at the country’s international airport near the city of Nadi.
From Nadi, I was driven east–on the left side of the road–to Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort, which sits on a private island. In a beach-side room ($180 and up) with a great view, my holiday started on the right foot.
Manicured golf course, carpeted tennis courts, lush bowling green and a wide array of water sports were there for my pleasure. The morning breakfast buffet of fresh fruit, pancakes and eggs was fit for a king.
After indulging, I took a day trip, in a rental car, back to Nadi to explore. The two-lane main highway–Queens Road–was exceptionally clean. Road workers pruned trees, macheted tall grass and kept the thoroughfare in better condition than most American highways. Throughout my journey on the Queens Road I noticed that, unlike other island countries, Fiji’s infrastructure was very sound.
In Nadi the main artery, still the Queens Road, is lined with souvenir shops (try Jack’s Handicrafts) and restaurants. The fish at Chefs was delectable and reasonably priced. I headed on toward Denarau Island, just off the coast, a rich green expanse that hosts two of Viti Levu’s most luxurious resorts: the Regent Fiji and the Sheraton Fiji Resort.
The great debate among Fijians is which is the better hotel. The immense Sheraton (double rooms $210) is prominently set on 25 acres of tropical gardens. But to some Fijians, its modernist concrete architecture does not reflect the country’s unique heritage.
The Regent ($188) with thatched roofs and faux tree-bark siding blends in with the local scenery and uses national Fijian motifs. Guests at both hotels use the Denarau Island Golf course and the plush Denarau Tennis Club.
Nadi has the international airport, but Suva, on the southeastern side of the main island, is the capital of Fiji. From Nadi, I took the three-hour drive to Suva along Viti Levu’s southern coast. The journey, with its wondrous ocean views and awe-inspiring vistas, is–for me–only rivaled by two other world famous routes: California’s Pacific Coast Highway and the mountainous P24 road from Morocco’s ancient city of a Fez to Marrakech.
As I took in the view, keeping an eye out for stray cows, I noticed children walking to school, people going to work and other denizens strolling by. Most smiled, many waved and all seemed to say welcome. Along the way, broad fields, dense green foliage and rolling hills reminded me of Jamaica.
I roomed at the Suva Travelodge, which is conveniently located across the street from Albert Park. At this historic site, in 1929, Charles Kingsford Smith was the first pilot to land a plane in Fiji. Albert Park was his actual landing strip, and now is a vast green lawn.
It’s a playground for Suva residents who compete in heated but friendly games of rugby, cricket and soccer. On the edge of the park are the Victoria Tennis Courts, a club with two grass and two carpeted courts run by locals. Across the street is the entrance to Suva’s botanical conservatory, Thurston Gardens. At the edge of floral gardens is the Fiji Museum, which traces Fiji’s vital history with paintings, photos, books, artifacts, canoe replicas and other exhibits.
Some historians believe the earliest Fijian inhabitants came from the Lake Tanganyika region near Zaire; others cite Egypt; others still claim Indonesia. But, from what is evident by the physical features of Fijians today, all agree that the island’s first people were of African descent. The original migration to the archipelago happened approximately 2,000 years ago. And now, despite civil wars, invasions and British colonization, these brown-skinned people with their well manicured Afros rule.
Demographers call people with Fijian features “Melanesian.” Light-skinned people with black straight hair from islands like Tahiti are called “Polynesians.” People from Guam and the Marshall Islands have wavy black hair, high cheek bones and more Asian-attributed features and are known as “Micronesians.” Melanesians dominate the country, even though they are about equal in number to the East Indians.
Fiji has 60 dialects and 13 provinces run by 13 high chiefs (called “Tui”) whose positions are inherited. Ninety percent of the nation’s land is still Fijian owned, and they are fiercely proud of their ancestry and names. In conversations with me, they couldn’t understand why African-Americans have British names. Names to them define culture and respect for one’s origin.
There aren’t a lot of restaurants in Fiji because the citizens prefer to eat in. However there is a unique spot in Suva called Tiko’s Floating Restaurant. It’s located on the Stinson Parade, just off the sea wall. Fish is served upstairs, meat downstairs. I started my meal with a local favorite appetizer, kokoda (marinated fish in lemon, chili, onion and coconut juice). My main course was delectable pan-fried paka paka fish with a side order of taro, a vegetable root.
With a little coaxing, I sipped on the island’s traditional drink, kava, which numbs the tongue, makes you high but contains no alcohol. Is this why the people are so mellow?
For those who want to dance, O’Reilly on Stinson Street is the local disco, while Traps features a popular bar with dancing.
Two days later, on my drive back toward Nadi, I stayed a couple of nights in the lagoon area of Pacific Harbour. The focal point there is the Fijian Pacific Harbour Cultural Centre. Started 17 years ago by Manoa Rasigatale, the center features a restaurant, crafts shops, traditional Fijian firewalking ceremonies, a dance theatre and an authentic village cultural tour. (Shop in Suva, but buy crafts here; they’re far cheaper.)
The tour is the star attraction. I sat in a canoe and was rowed around a lagoon where locals, dressed in traditional garb, demonstrated the fine art of canoe building, food preparation, ceramics and hut weaving. It was like stepping back in time and far more captivating than a museum.
Rasigatale specializes in setting up cultural exchanges with various ethnic groups of 15 to 20 people. Native Americans from Alaska and the native people from Hawaii have taken his tours. Now he’d like to host African-Americans who want to experience Fiji’s culture from a historical point of view. (For details call him in Fiji at 011-679-450177 or fax him at 679-450083.)
If you want to get away from it all, Fiji’s private island resorts beckon. I took a very jarring boat ride from Pacific Harbour to the Marlin Bay Resort (all-inclusive $170 single, $200 double) in the Beqa Lagoon. The bumpy speedboat ride ($50) gave no indication of Marlin Bay’s complete tranquillity.
The central building, Bure Kalou, with its soaring thatched roof featured a dining room, bar and souvenir shop. Fourteen beachfront bures (traditional Fijian name for cottages) were strategically placed on quiet grounds and backdropped by mountains.
My bure was so quiet and restful that when I laid down on my bed for short nap, I fell into a long asleep. Fortunately, I woke in time to sample the beef salad at lunch and indulge in some of the resort’s many diversions–hiking, diving, fishing and picnicking on deserted islands.
Speaking of diversions, the Toberua Island Resort ($250 per day) has one of Fiji’s truly unique attractions. No, it’s not the relaxing boat ride from Suva to Toberua on a quiet waterway, through swamps lined with tropical foliage that reminds one of the Florida Everglades.
Nor is it just the fantasy-looking 4-acre island with its 28-foot-high individual bures, roofless bathrooms, large beds, private refrigerators and well-stocked bar. Nor the scrumptious meals which, on my afternoon outing, featured a fresh water mussel appetizer followed by a smoked marlin salad with orange slices, avocado and peppers in a light vinaigrette.
This placid resort is ultimately distinguished by its golf course. At the beach, the tide goes out, red flags locating holes go up, and guests tee off, hitting balls off the coral and sand, drumming up an appetite for lunch. You had to be there!
For those who love to dive, Fiji’s waters are world famous. There are dive tours to Beqa Lagoon and the Astrolabe off the south of Viti Levu; and Rainbow Reef and the Great White Wall off Taveuni, in the north. Nai’a Cruises and Matagi Princess operate luxury live-aboard boats with ensuite staterooms. Jean Michel Cousteau (Jacques’ son) recently opened a diving resort on Vanua Levu.
Fijians are hospitable by nature and culture. They always say bula (hello). When I walked down the streets, people often stopped me to ask whether I were African-American and to inquire about America. Since everyone speaks English, communicating is easy.
The landscapes, the culture, the gentry. I’d never been there before, but the country and these warm people made me feel like I was coming home to paradise.
DETAILS ON FIJI
Getting there: Air Pacific, the Fiji carrier, flies from Los Angeles to Fiji with non-stop 747 service; prices start at $1,008. The airline offers connecting flights to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other South Pacific islands, so Fiji can be your prime destination or a side trip. Call 800-227-4446. Qantas and Air New Zealand also have flights from Los Angeles that continue on to their home countries.
General info: Less expensive hotels abound, starting at $115 a day. A couple of choices: Dive Taveuni, a resort that specializes in diving on the island of Taveuni, and The Crow’s Nest, on Viti Levu. For the most cost efficient travel, take the bus. They’re cheap, and you’ll get to meet more Fijians.
A passport, but no visa, is required for entry.
The current rate of exchange is about 1.4 Fijian dollars per U.S. dollar.
Tourist info: Write: Fiji Visitors bureau, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90045, or call 800-YEA-FIJI (800-932-3454) or fax 310-670 2316.
