Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. (René Descartes, mathematician and philosopher,1599-1650)

Wednesday 25 December 2013

A Happy Christmas Everyone and a Peaceful New Year

Black Christ Mural
Naiserelagi, about 45 km east of Rakiraki, is the home of the church with a mural of the Black Christ by French artist Jean Charlot. This is an exquisite work, blending Fijian motifs with the teachings of Christ. Charlot painted the mural in 1962 at the invitation of Monsignor Franz Wasner, the then-caretaker of the mission. (Prior to coming to Fiji Monsignor Wasner was at one time the singing teacher of the Von Trapp family of Sound of Music fame.) The mural was painstakingly completed by the dim lamplight of the church – apparently Charlot had a great deal of trouble applying the fresh mortar to the wall.

The central image of the mural is the figure of a black Christ on the cross, wearing masi (tapa) cloth around his waist. He is being paid homage to by a number of Fijian figures. In the immediate background are breadfruit leaves and fruit which express his close relationship with nature and, according to Charlot’s wife, are a vital symbol in the fresco. The Fijian word for breadfruit, uto, is also used for ‘heart’. At Christ’s feet is a tanoa (yaqona bowl), symbolising the Eucharist. To his right are a child in a mission school uniform, St Peter Chanel (a martyred Saint in the Pacific), Father Mataca (the first Fijian Catholic priest), a Fijian woman bringing Christ an offering of woven mats, and a Fijian man offering Christ a tabua (whale’s tooth) – the highest form of respect a Fijian can confer. To Christ’s left an Indian woman is portrayed offering a garland of flowers and an Indian farmer is pictured with a pair of oxen. Also shown are St Francis Xavier (whom the church is named after) and an acolyte. (Photo courtesy of Steve Leavitt, Union College).

According to accounts, when the mural was complete the entire parish of Naiserelagi held a feast in Charlot’s honor. Cows were slaughtered and the traditional yaqona ceremony was observed. As in the mural, women presented the artist with mats. After visiting what has to be the finest non-Fijian work of art in Fiji, you should not forget to drop some money into the donation box at the door. Proceeds are used to maintain the church.

Painting by Jean Charlot; Photo by Philip Game.  Text from Fiji Guide.

Friday 6 December 2013

Blog Put on Hold

I've decided to put the blog on hold for a few months. It's  summer and approaching  Christmas in New Zealand and I'm overwhelmed with domestic jobs that have been put off for too long. Running the blog is really too much for one person.

I've also run out of new things to write about.   Government news, news from the Opposition, and foreign news about Fiji is all much of the same. The themes are constant, only the detail change. There seem to be so few new voices or new ideas, and I've got the distinct impression that I've commented on it all before.

There was a time when I immodestly thought the blog  had a role to play in modifying opinions. Then, slowly, reality checked in. The New Zealand media and government are not interested in different perspectives. They have their minds made up. The opponents to the Bainimarama government likewise. And I doubt any senior member of the Fiji government even reads the blog.

I intend to keep up to date with happenings in Fiji and review my decision in the New Year.

Meanwhile,  I wish all readers a happy and peaceful Christmas and a happy 2014.  It will be decisive year for the country we all  love so much.