The Art Of Visiting, The Dilemma Of Staying And The Difficulty Of Leaving: An Actor’s Perspective Of Indofijian Representations On Fiji’s Stages 1998-2008
The ocean’s place in the lives of the indigenous inhabitants of the Pacific Islands is undeniably momentous. Crossing the Pacific Ocean also had a profound effect on a group of later migrants that came to inhabit the region, IndoFijians. Labourers left the shores of their homeland as Indians, but arrived in Fiji as peoples far removed both physically and ideologically from their initial identities. Their ordeal disarticulated their ‘Indianess’ only to re-articulate their identities with their new place of residence, Fiji—a complex process only partially signalled by the shifting official terminology used to describe them as, variously, ‘Indian’, ‘Indo-Fijian’, ‘IndoFijian’, and now, simply, ‘Fijian.’
This dissertation analyses IndoFijian identity from the unique vantage point of theatre. While Fiji’s political developments have often defined its image to the world, theatre provides an alternative means of depicting and illuminating the complexity of Fijian society and an IndoFijian’s place in it. I trace four Larry Thomas theatrical productions staged between 1998 and 2008, analysing and drawing parallels between society and the stage and paying particular attention to each play’s representations of, and relevance for, IndoFijians.
The productions I focus on are The Anniversary Present (1998) Searching for the Smile (1999), the 2004 production of Men, Women & Insanity (1991) and The Visitors (2008). I acted in the three of the four plays and was a member of the audience in the other. These four plays effectively capture the historical, political, social, economic and theatrical developments occurring in Fiji while presenting alternative representations of how IndoFijians have established an identity unique to Fiji and the Pacific.
Employing an analytical auto-ethnographical approach to evoke an actor’s perspective, I theorise an IndoFijian identity that firmly places them in Fijian history and society. Each play is analyzed from the perspective of the character I play or as an observer, drawing parallels between the characters’ experiences on stage and Fiji’s social and political development. In doing so, I suggest theatre and life in Fiji illuminate each other. Because I am theorising IndoFijian identity from an actor’s perspective, articulation theory captures well the process of transition from an Indian to IndoFijian identity as such a transition is reflected in the actor assuming new roles in different plays. Thirteen theatre practitioners from Fiji were interviewed to gather their views on theatrical development in Fiji. Similarly, four influential political leaders from that era were also interviewed to connect theatre with Fiji’s politics. Added to these are my personal experiences and memories of participating in the productions examined, as well as Fiji theatre more generally.
The thesis finds that IndoFijians are deeply articulated with Fiji and with the Pacific for their identity. However, achieving a sense of belonging without official recognition seems inadequate. Legal recognition was accomplished when Fiji’s 2013 constitution acknowledged IndoFijians as Fijians. Unfortunately, this arrived at the expense of the iTaukei losing their ethnic identity to the national marker for everyone, Fijian. The conclusion summarises how an actor’s perspective of Larry Thomas’ plays help illuminate a Fiji society where the IndoFijians occupy a space for themselves. It identifies the ocean as an important unifying entity that binds the IndoFijian experience to Pacific islanders and Oceania.
