Word: fijians
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...performance pieces go, its radiance is revealed slowly, even shyly, from darkness to light, like the onset of a full moon-in Fijian, a vula. For presenting Pacific life on stage, there would seem to be no better guide: in the islands, time doesn't run to a clock, but rather follows the lunar pull of the tides. And in Vula, at the Sydney Opera House until June 25, the moon watches over the gentle unfolding of life, from kava ceremony to funeral song. In many Pacific cultures, the moon is also seen as a female deity, and in Vula...
...four New Zealand-based performers of mixed Samoan and Fijian ancestry, there was the opportunity to share their stories through the unifying medium of water: Hellen Stowers performs a Fijian meke that was originally danced at the water's edge to farewell men going to war. But Nawalowalo, who is more interested in "how one adds to a picture," pushes traditional imagery into new realms. In a Samoan siva dance, she spotlights the hands so they appear out of the darkness like swimming squid. Later, she dramatizes the arrival of missionaries with a ship's sail, which passes before...
...theatrical offering is a case in point. Born in a tiny 100-seat theater in Wellington, Vula now comfortably fills the Sydney Opera House's Playhouse space. Its success has been buoyed by a growing international demand for Pacific stories, with playwright Toa Fraser's film version of the Fijian family epic, No. 2, recently taking out the audience prize at Sundance. And when Nawalowalo takes Vula home to Fiji for the first time next month, she'll begin researching her next work, Masi, named after the Fijian word for tapa cloth-making. To this age-old tradition...
...Pure Fiji's products leave you feeling good, so will its relationships with the community. Since its founding 10 years ago, the company has trained villagers in the Namosi Highlands?on the main Fijian island of Viti Levu?in the preparation of plant extracts and the natural paper used in Pure Fiji's packaging. The company also funds scholarships for its employees' children...
...good works haven't gone unnoticed. The Fijian government has twice named the company Exporter of the Year. Business is booming, too: co-director Andr?e Austin says the company opened a new factory last year to cope with increased demand, and will be launching a facial line in the very near future. That ought to give the term "fair trade" an even better complexion than before...