Suva Bus Stand!
Sorry it doesn't blow up any bigger. When I do it, it simply dissolves into pixels.
Anyway, if you could see it properly, we could play "What is missing from this shot?"
If you too grew up in Fiji, you'd immediately recognise the omission: there are no Indian boys in there roaming around with their baskets, crying out "Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean."
Or indeed "Boil egg! Boil egg! Boil egg!"
Or "Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri." (I loved that one. Shout it out in a singsong voice and you can see why!)
Or "Roti curry! Roti curry! Roti curry!"
These food-sellers and their constant cacophony were there all through my childhood and it's not until now when I can see for myself that they've gone, I finally appreciate them.
Intangible Cultural Assets often do that to you! As Joni Mitchell once sang "You don't know what you've lost til it's gone!" (It's certainly a lesson HK needs too!) and she really nailed it with that one.
You know, I didn't even know they'd vanished until Karen, over there in America, mentioned that she'd told her children all about the quirks and differences between Fiji and their own lives in USA - including "Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean." - but when she finally took them back to see it all for themselves, a lot of what she'd told them about no longer existed.
And the cacophony at Suva Bus Stand, all that "Boil egg! Boil egg! Boil egg!", "Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean.", "Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri. Budji. Lahakri. Budji.", was one of those things that were now nowhere to be seen or heard. Puff! Gone!
Yup, gone! And how sad is that that we didn't even know how much we loved it until its no longer there.
Bloody universal, free education!!! Back then, Fiji only had two years of free and universal education - enough so folks could read, write, add, subtract, speak English, and build a safe and sanitary toilet in their own backyard.
Yes, all that in two years.
And, oh man, it was difficult. I can tell you from first-hand experience that you had to work hard during your first two years of school in Fiji. For us there was no lolly-gagging around with colouring-in and games and songs-and-dances and cutting things out with scissors, and definitely no nap-time; no gentle easing into our education because it was all work! work! work! from Day One!
And it had to be that way because it was the only way to be fair to those kiddies for whom, yup!, this was it!
My old primary school
in Suva!
Another heart-warming photo from home,
this one from ... gosh, who did send it to me?
But now everyone in Fiji gets Primary School before they have to start paying, and thus, without Fiji's vast minimally educated labour force trying to support themselves anyway they can, you simply don't get "Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean."
Or am I laying the blame in the wrong place? Maybe Fiji issues food-seller licenses these days and no one can afford them. Yeah, let's say this is the real story because I totally believe in universal, free education and know that I really should be thinking that the loss of "Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean." is a small price to pay.
But nonetheless I'm wondering if there shouldn't be some big acknowledgment of the passing - some mourning of the loss of this Great Intangible Cultural Asset and I'm thinking maybe I should be the one to do it. Marika Gata, the Fiji pop star, has a song "Ratu Boro Gaga" that is a tribute to them only I can't find it on youtube ... so maybe that's what I should do. Rene has a lot of photos of the Suva bus stand - all without a single food-seller in any of them - so maybe, if I can find Marika's song someplace, I can use Rene's photos ... and make a little clip I can put on youtube myself.
Naturally, no one but those of us who know about "Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean." will ever want to view it, but nonetheless whenever has lack of others' interest ever stopped me!
Bharat says I should never do anything to another person's songs without their consent, but I don't know how to reach Marika, so ... just do it and apologise for it later?
So, until I have something "Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean. Peanut Bean." to replace it with, let's end with a little Joni and her very important message:
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2 comments:
"a lot of what she'd told them about no longer existed." I know how she feels. I grew up in a place where houses were one football field apart, pine trees and sunflowers covered most the area. When I went back - they turned the whole place into a subdivision. The river that I used to go swim in, was gone. There's still the small bridge to remind that a river was once there. It's just sad. -Shirl
Bula, brings back memories, I'm from Nadi and lived walking distance to the bus station. I remember how I used to hear them call out. I also remember Marika Gata's 'Ratu Boro Gaga' song. I've been searching if there's a mp3 version. I only have it cassette.-Chandni
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