Talanoa From Dr Tarisi Vunidilo

I would like to conclude with a Maori Proverb:

“He aha te mea nui o te ao? 

This is translated as: What is the most important thing in the world? 

The answer is: Maku e ki atu, He tangata, he tangata, he tangata

It is people, it is people, it is people!”

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY to our grandmothers,  mothers, sisters, & daughters of Oceania! I would like to take this time to thank Melanesia Women of Today (MWT) for nominating me as one of  MWT's nominees for Women's History Month 2022:  Inspiring Trailblazers! I feel so humbled and privileged to be selected, from me and my family, VINAKA VAKALEVU MWT!

2022 is indeed an interesting year. We are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. My current work for my digital platform ‘Talanoa With Dr T’ came about during the early stages of the COVID-19 worldwide quarantine at the beginning of 2020, purely for the benefit of informing the children of Fiji about this virus in their indigenous I-Taukei language. The opportunity to breakdown and translate what COVID-19 was into my language was indeed a very fulfilling feat. Both children and parents were able to benefit from the translated posters and short videos that were created with the purpose of informing our community. This led to the production of more live videos and eventually interviews that have empowered so many listeners through zoom and streamed on Facebook and YouTube.

In this paper, I would like to highlight 3 key points that I believe were the basis of inspiration for the last 2 years. 

Since the time I began my museum career at the Fiji Museum in 1994, community work was the foundation of my work. Without the community, I would not be able to successfully complete archaeological surveys and community outreach. The collection of oral history was a key part of my work in Fiji. I enjoyed working in the community and living in the homes of the people I worked with. One highlight was visiting local schools and sharing with them the work we were doing. Working with other government departments and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) was also a key aspect of our program. Collaboration was the best way of completing our work on time. Most importantly, care was crucial to our work. As a iTaukei researcher, I felt that it was important to remind myself that I was not doing this work just for me. The benefit of my work will flow to the people and benefit the community at large.

Community

This 3-C model formed the basis of Talanoa With Dr T. During the pandemic, many found ways to reach out to others. Many found skills and talents that they did not know they had. My platform was one of those that was founded during this period. Our Fijian community in Fiji and abroad are benefiting from this online platform. Many are now learning the language and others are delving into finding out more about themselves. Inspiring others has now become one of the main outcomes of my digital program. 

Collaboration

As time went by, we realized that inviting guests to the program was the way to go. We put together a program from January 2021 to February 2022, a total of 14 months, to put the spotlight on each of the 14 provinces in Fiji. Our Talanoa with Dr T team devised a program that incorporated pre-history, history, geography and simple topics discussing birds, plants and associated cultural totems. Apart from sharing our own research, we also invited women, men, and youths to also join the program and be interviewed. This was a huge success as many were able to tell their stories of their childhood, stories that were never told before. 

Care

We continue to inspire others through caring. Valuing other people’s voices is such an empowering  thing to do. Many family members who were listening were enjoying hearing stories from their next of kin on my program. This show has become the ‘glue’ that brings families together to share and celebrate their achievements. We cannot wait to continue to share this digital platform to inspire others, both young and old. Most importantly, are our women-our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters! 

MARCH 2022 - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY & WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

The month of March was dedicated to women. Women of all walks of life were invited to share their stories. Those that were invited represented the following topics: Women in Academia, Women as Cancer survivors, Women in Science, Women in Business and Women in Museums, to name a few. I believe that my platform has been able to highlight key issues facing our communities, including topics that are difficult to discuss, for example, the topic of health and cancer. The Suva Cancer Survivors Group has been so inspirational in inviting their members, who spoke in English, Fijian and Hindustani on my program. I am excited for what is in store for the remainder of the year.

To conclude, vinaka vakalevu MWT for the nomination. It means a lot to me! The Talanoa With Dr T program is here to stay. We are excited about our future programs for 2023 and beyond. Beginning in April 2022, we will roll out a once a week bi-lingual (Fijian and English) story-telling program for children. We believe that for the past 2 years, we have been focusing on topics of interest for adults. We are now dedicated to the sharing of ancient stories from different districts in Fiji targeting young ones. I personally believe that this is a worthwhile cause. Indigenous stories will be shared so that young learners can learn from it and pass them down to even younger generations. 

I would like to conclude with a Maori Proverb: He aha te mea nui o te ao? This is translated as: What is the most important thing in the world? 

The answer is: Maku e ki atu, He tangata, he tangata, he tangata

It is people, it is people, it is people!

May we continue to shine more light and love in this world!

Mahalo nui loa and Vinaka Vakalevu