Roots in Water: How Fijians Deepen into Their Traditions to Combat Current Crises
The Covid-19 pandemic came as a shock, aggravating existent economic and political crises (Institute for Economics & Peace, 2022), along with the consequences of climate change. Despite this, it has also demonstrated how civil societies have responded with resilience and solidarity, challenging conventional approaches to development and peace.
In the Pacific Islands, the crisis has pushed communities to resort to alternative strategies based on indigenous sociocultural contexts that “have made us rethink human security (Ratuva, 2021, p.20).” Meanwhile, even after decades of globalization, villages became “safe havens” during the pandemic, sparking a “re-storying” of economic development (Kabutaulaka, 2020, p.49).
Back in 2009 at the UNGA, climate change concerns involving Pacific Island countries already led to a resolution placing the agenda along with international peace and security (Weir & Virani, 2011). Further, Havea (2019) asserts that climate change affects people’s peace due to its effects on livelihoods, health, and well-being, emphasizing how peace can be promoted in adaptation strategies.
As more and more areas in Fiji are either already suffering from or at risk of seawater intrusion, its consequences, along with the challenges brought by relocation efforts, push indigenous communities to adapt their knowledge and practices accordingly.
Fiji as site of research provides a microcosm of the interplay between social order and social growth. With its history of colonization and its multicultural society, Fiji offers not just a map of peace and development issues, but more importantly, a resource for solutions and strategies from its indigenous cultures and contemporary experiences.