Still here -Albert Cove
25 June 2008 | Albeert Cove, Rambi Island, Fiji
Barbara
Picture perfect in every way is this place called Albert Cove. White sand, beautiful coral gardens, aqua waters and friendly village people who barter with us for food. We have learned a lot watching they way they live and we have a better understanding of the issues which shape their way of life. First, the only road on the island is accessible by going ,y dingy to the next bay which is 2 kms away. The road had been washed out by recent rains and there is no one or money to repair it. So to travel on it requires a 3km walk along the coast through bush and mud. The locals are forced to walk or take their boats to get to the next town to see their copra and to buy food. Needless to say, the children are unable to get to school in this town when it has rained as the walk is prohibitive. The world situation regarding fuel and food has affected the local people on the outer islands of Fiji . It has forced them into a subsistence lifestyle of growing their own food and fishing aggressively for reef fish. It has also made them avid copra growers-coconut oil being the cash cow for biofuels. Everyone grows copra for cash. which takes them away from growing food. Instead they take the cash to buy expensive processed foods in cans and plastic which requires expensive gasoline to bring these products to the islands. One wonders how long this economy will last. There is no power in the village in Albert Cove. So when the sun goes down at 8 PM all is quiet on shore. Fishing starts at 10 Am when the reefs are visible and goes on all day with the men returning in their dug out canoes by 7PM. The women pend the day harvesting copra-a hard job of cracking open the outer skin of the coconut with a machete. Once open the brown nut is cracked with an ax and the coconut meat is put ion racks in a huge oven to dry and bake. The oven is constructed of corrugated steal bolted together to make a hut. The copra fires are fueled by the coconut husks and burn all day everyday. Copra is sold for 600 Fijian dollars a ton. So a 70lb bag of copra will pay 25 Fijian Dollars or 16 dollars US. Yesterday I saw 2 bags being brought to market and that represented a weeks work. 2 dollars an hour is the going rate for copra cutting if you are rich enough to hire someone to help. There is no shortage of coconuts, the challenge is having enough people and hours to harvest and process the product. Now i understand the term, "coconut economy", which is often used to described this difficult work. This way of life has been going on for years and with the current government (military coup 2006) there looks like there will be little in the way of improvement. . Tom and I are here for one more day and then will move the boat to a place called Budd Reef-an atoll out in the middle of Fijian waters on the way to the northern part of the island, Tavenui. There is a promise of rain, so we will wait it out there in the protected anchorages of the off shore islands. By July 4 we will be back in Savusavu to catch up with friends, update our web page and prepare for our trip to the Western part of Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji.