The last article in this series focused on and highlighted behavioural differences between the two main ethnic groups in Fiji: the Fijians and the Indo-Fijians. Sports was used to highlight how fan reactions differ according to ethnic backgrounds.
I deliberately chose the 1970s because that is when the Indo- Fijian really evolved. Before 1970, we were Indians. And after 2013, we became Fijians of Indian descent. The most interesting period in terms of cultural evolution and forging crosscultural bonds was 1970 to 1987.
This is because the process was smooth for 17 years before it was disrupted through reactive coups from 1987 to 2013 – that is 26 years.
As we travelled through sports in the last article, we found that rugby and soccer had fan bases that were clearly ethnically demarcated. It was extremely rare to see an Indo-Fijian spectator at rugby competitions. Soccer, on the other hand, was the sport of choice for the Indo- Fijian.
There was healthy Fijian participation and support in soccer because the bulk of the stars were Fijians. This helped greatly in forging cross-cultural bonds. Most Fijian soccer players quickly learnt the Hindi language and the peculiar ways of the Indo- Fijian.
This opportunity never arose in rugby and it still remains elusive. Let us focus on boxing here.
Cross-cultural differences in boxing
Boxing presented an interesting context as it was historically a Fijian sport, but Indians and Indo-Fijians featured throughout. And very interestingly, these pugilists were groomed by Fijian trainers.
Mansoor Ali, Daya Nand, Iqbal Azad, Zamal Azad, Balwant Singh, Bas Deo, Ambika Prasad, Subhash Chand, John Krishna Chotka, etc. were all prominent boxers who worked with Fijian trainers.
This has changed somewhat these days with the emergence of clubs that have both Fijian and Indo-Fijian trainers. The boxers are also of mixed pedigree. It is important to note that most boxers develop a deep respect for their opponents regardless of ethnicity.
It is this that works as a catalyst in forging cross-cultural bonds. There was one problem in this though as historically vociferous Fijian spectators used to ridicule and boo Indo-Fijian boxers whenever they entered the ring.
There were reasons for this, but it did not help in developing cross-cultural respect. Those Indo-Fijian boxers were partaking in a grueling combat sport that was largely considered Fijian, but they failed to be respected for this.
During those days Indo- Fijians were considered inferior to Fijians in terms of physical strength – this came through in spectator reactions as soon as they entered the ring regardless of the outcome of the bout.
There used to be an undercurrent of ethnic antagonism at boxing programs then. Gradually the Indo-Fijian spectator became worse than the Fijian fan when it came to cheering at programs because he brought in the relatively new phenomenon of jeering.
This used to be seen at Sakaraia Ve vs Bas Deo matches – they fought thrice. It was also very much evident when Saiyad Hassan took on Elo Rauga for the Girmit Centenary Belt at Lambert Hall in Flagstaff in 1979.
I was at that program and the atmosphere was pregnant with racial animosity. It was so intense that skirmishes broke out even before the main bout.
The Girmit centenary belt
Saiyad Hassan was known for his KO power in both hands. He had floored many Fijian boxers and none of his fights had gone beyond the fifth round; most of them had been at the Laucala Bay Hangar.
Elo Rauga, on the other hand, was a relatively obscure entity, but he hailed from Ba and was under the tutelage of the Naliva clan. Boxing observers know very well that no one from that background should be underestimated.
The matchup was touted as a title fight for the Girmit centenary belt – this was part of the Fiji-wide Girmit Centennial celebrations of 1979. At that time, title fights ran for 15 rounds. Rounds 13-15 were referred to and considered as the “championship rounds”.
As mentioned earlier, Saiyad Hassan had ring experience, but he had not gone beyond five rounds. Elo Rauga appeared trim and very fit when he entered the ring. I immediately decided that it would be either a KO win to Saiyad or a points victory to Rauga.
What unfolded was beyond expectations. Cheering and jeering characterised the cacophony that erupted intermittently around the hall throughout the fight. Saiyad failed to put away his savvy opponent and lumbered around increasingly exhausted looking for that big hit until he was pummeled to the floor in round 13.
Rauga won by TKO13 and half the crowd went wild. As I made my way out with my mates from our boxing club in Baniwai Rd that night, we could not help hearing the racist comments being thrown around.
The occasion was forgotten, what was important was that an Indo- Fijian boxer had been beaten by a Fijian boxer and loud Indian mouths had been shut. It is this type of racism that was overt at that time.
In boxing, a lot had to do with the attitude of Indo- Fijian fight fans who cannot differentiate between cheering and jeering. This is still seen now as Fijians quietly shake their heads because for them dignity and respect is more important. Crowing around and ridiculing others is considered ill-mannered for any boxer.
Joseph Kwadjo v Joy Ali
When I came from Auckland to watch the Joseph Kwadjo v Joy Ali match in 2009, the same Fijian v Indo-Fijian antagonism was simmering all around. This had gradually built up as Joy flattened his Fijian opponents one after another and there were none left to challenge him.
His fan base was so loud and irritating that his detractors adopted Ghanaian Joseph Kwadjo as one of their own in the hope that he would bring Joy and his fans back down to earth. During the fight, Joy started covering up as soon as he realised he was in a real fight.
There was very little offence from him, but whenever he opened up his spectators went delirious and started jeering. There was a group of his family members who would swarm to the ring whenever he made a move.
Of course, this is not allowed and they were chased back by security guards repeatedly. A group from Lautoka were sitting behind us towards our right with a prominent boxer among them. He would shout, “maro karia bandar ke” (hit the black monkey).
This went on for a while until someone from my row told him to show respect or shut-up. That group went ominously quiet after that. I tried to see who had pulled them up and realised he was a much-respected ex-boxer.
Conclusion
So there you go. We have not been able to make a cross-cultural dent in boxing because of our jeering even though we have so many boxers training together. Indo-Fijian boxers actually dominate the sport now.
In rugby, we seem to have embraced sevens rugby much more than the full version. Our support, however, appears to be too dependent on the success of our sevens team. Any failings and we start clamoring for scalps.
Our social media comments are extremely crass and totally devoid of empathy. This is not really the sign of true dedicated followers. It also appears to show arrogance from a segment of society that has only a rudimentary understanding of the sport.
I concede that there are many more of us who understand rugby better these days compared to the 1970s and ‘80s. The manner in which we make our input, however, leaves a lot to be desired. I was following the comments on social media after the Sydney 7s and was greatly encouraged to read the analysis presented by The Fiji Times writer Rajnesh Lingam. His take was spot-on and he was very measured in how he presented it.
I believe there are many more who fall in that category. I stop here for now and will take us further on the issue of cross-cultural differences in behaviour next week.
• DR SUBHASH APPANNA is a senior lecturer (School of Business and Management) at the University of the South Pacific.
He has been writing occasionally on issues of historical and national significance. The views expressed in this article are his alone and not those of The Fiji Times or his employer.
