The Film
Fiji Memory, Colonial Time tells the history of colonialism in Fiji and its aftermath through a multifaceted prism. Jean Bish, an 82-year-old daughter of a British colonial family who hasn’t returned to her native Fiji for over 40 years, searches for remnants of her past; a past that only seems to exist in her memory. As she travels across the tropical island on her personal journey, Jean not only narrates her own experience of growing up in the well-manicured world of British colonialism, but she also introduces us to the darker stories of the Bish family history including the story of G.H. Lee, her great-grandfather, who arrived in Fiji in 1870 to make his fortune and left a violent legacy of adventure, exploitation, and arrogance.
Meanwhile, Waqa Vuidreketi, an indigenous Fijian mixed-media artist travels between his traditional village and the modern city, collecting material for artwork that captures the rupture that was created when colonialism came. As the film interweaves Jean and Waqa’s stories, it contextualizes them within the larger history of Fiji and the present-day legacy of England’s entanglement with the island. Through interviews with academics and everyday Fijians, we see the legacy and impact of colonialism on all of the island nation’s inhabitants: colonials, indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. By interweaving the past and the present, the personal and the historical, Fiji Memory, Colonial Time creates a rich and nuanced understanding of an island often little known outside of its immediate horizons. The multiple stories inform each other, allowing the viewer a deeper understanding of not only Fiji, but the way in which colonialism inserts itself into a culture, takes hold of all parties and doesn’t let go.
The Characters
Jean Bish left Fiji as a pregnant 20-year-old war bride in 1945 on a ship bound for the U.S.A. While she has spent most of the last 75 years in California, she has always thought of Fiji and kept her complex memories of the islands in her heart and mind. Over the years, through two marriages and while raising three children, Jean has been a writer and her stories and novels return to Fiji for their settings and inspirations. Fiji is also where Jean’s political awareness was first raised while hearing her grandfather’s stories about his cruel, colonial father.
G.H. Lee, Jean great-great-grandfather, first arrived in Fiji in 1870 as an adventurer searching to make his fortune. He believed strongly in the colonial mission, and his racist entitlement would lead him both to personal enrichment and to menacing violence.
Waqa Vuidreketi was born in Suva, Fiji and now living in the village of Lomanikoro in the Rewa Province. He was a community youth worker for many years before following his passion of art making. Through working with the community, Waqa was exposed to the challenges facing our society and the environment. He has represented Fiji in the 2012 and 2016 Pacific Arts Festivals, and exhibited across Fiji and in international galleries.