Here is the latest posting in the continuing story of our shoot in Fiji:
Upon arriving in the capital city of Suva, we headed to the University of the South Pacific, the largest academic institution in the region, to interview a couple of fascinating academics. First up was Robert Nicole. Dr. Nicole is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the the School of Government and he has written a brilliant book called Disturbing History: Resistance in Early Colonial Fiji. Dr. Nicole is originally from Switzerland, but his family moved to Fiji when he was a teenager. His area of expertise fits right into the focus of the film, and he was able to shed light of the various ways that Fijians fought against colonialism. Of particular interest was his insight into resistance in the Sigatoka River region, which was where Jean’s great-grandfather settled for a time and came in conflict with the nearby villagers. Dr. Nicole is very interested in G.H.’s story and he shed some light into the context and factors contributing to tension between G.H. and the Fijian school teacher Enoki.
After talking to Dr. Nicole, we headed to the office of Max Quanchi. Dr. Quanchi is Senior Lecturer in History in the School of Social Sciences, and, among many other texts, he has written the Fijian history book that is used by high school students throughout the country, so he is “Mr. History” in many ways. Max (as he likes to be called), is a jovial Australian who has devoted his life to giving voice to the histories, peoples and cultures of the South Pacific. In his interview, Max gave further insight into the early European arrivals in Fiji, shedding light on such types as beachcombers (sailors who abandoned ship or were left ashore and had to find a way to survive on the islands) and blackbirders (men who coerced islanders from the New Hebrides and the Solomons into indentured labour in Fiji).
Speaking of the blackbirding era, an interesting piece of family history that we may explore in the documentary is the background of Marianne Leech, G.H.’s wife and Jean’s great-grandmother. Jean always heard that Marianne came from Peru on a blackbirding ship and that G.H. always referred to her as “my Peruvian princess”. In additon the birth certificates of her children list her birthplace as Peru. However, a letter from Jean’s mother refered to Marianne as coming from Beru, an island in the Gilbert islands. Was this a typo? Was the oral hisory misheard and the birth certificates wrong? This has become a mystery that we want to explore. While we may never know the truth for certain, after speaking to the academics, it has become clear that Marianne could in fact be from Peru or Beru, or even come from both places! You see, the blackbirding ships regularly traveled between Peru and the South Pacific islands, so Marianne could be a Peruvian who came through Beru, or vice versa. Here is Marianne’s picture. What do you think?
Our final academic interview was with Dr. Paul Geraghty, Associate Professor of Linguistics in the School of Language Arts and Media. Dr. Geraghty is a bit of a celebrity in Fiji, as I am told he is often on TV discussing Fijian language and culture. Dr. Geraghty is originally from Rugby, England (a perfect birthplace for someone who would end up in the rugby-loving country of Fiji!), but he has lived in Fiji since he was a young man. Dr. Geraghty is the world’s foremost expert on Fijian language, and he speaks many different Fijian dialects fluently. In fact, some Fijians have told us that they are reluctant to speak to him as he speaks Fijian better than they do! Embracing all things Fijian, Dr. Geraghty always wears a sulu and avoids shoes.
The professor is a diminutive Englishman with a twinkle in his eye and he keeps his desk in a office that one has to see to believe. He has somehow found a way to fill the tiny office with hundreds of books overflowing from a maze of bookshelves that go from floor to ceiling. It was to be a challenge to shoot in this tiny, crowded space, but we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to shoot him in this amazing atmosphere. The solution was that only Smith and Alexi could fit in the room with Dr. Geraghty, leaving the rest of the crew in the hall! It was a tight fit, but somehow they managed and got an interesting interview in the process!
