Foreword
Position: the nation of three hundred and thirty islands lies two thousand miles north east of Sydney, one thousand three hundred miles north of Auckland and two thousand one hundred miles west of Tahiti.
Population: eight hundred and seventy thousand as of 2015, fifty seven per cent of whom are ethnic Fijian (Kaiviti), thirty eight per cent Indian (Kaihindi) with the rest made up of Pacific Islanders, Chinese and European, the last being known as Kaivalagis.
Politics: since independence from Great Britain in 1970, Fiji has had four coups, twice leading to suspension from the Commonwealth. Following the 2014 elections it returned to being a parliamentary republic. The ruling party is headed by the ex-commander of the armed forces and leader of the 2006 coup. His platform has been one of uprooting corruption and ending racism.
Pronunciation: a written D is usually spoken with an N just before it. For example airport town Nadi is pronounced Nandi, but never spelt that way. Similarly Q is also preceded by an invisible N, making it sound more like a G – yaqona (see below) is pronounced yangona. Finally a written B will often have an M immediately preceding it when vocalised. Thus the island of Beqa is spoken as Mbenga, and tabua, a sacred sperm whale’s tooth, is enunciated as tambua.
Piper methysticum, aka yaqona, kava, waka, grog: a relative of the pepper plant, the roots are dried, pounded, ground and mixed with water to make a drink which is mildly sedative, anaesthetic and euphoric, and enjoyed across Fiji. Excessive long term consumption can cause health issues, but the most common effect is a lassitude which augments an already laid back attitude to life.
