Beautiful, versatile, unappreciated, mysterious, and significant. Those were some of the words used by local businessman and environmental activist Sukulu Soko to describe bamboos.
Soko shared his passion and enthusiasm for bamboo with The Sunday Times this week in a bid to create more awareness of the vital role it plays in the natural environment, how it can improve livelihoods and why it can be a crucial element in the fight against climate change.
Sukulu Soko started his career as a high school teacher specialising in the field of computing. He is originally from Southern Lau with paternal links to the island of Ogea and maternal connections to Fulaga, the island of some of Fiji’s most skilled woodcarvers and canoe builders.
“I spent my formative years in Levuka where I first attended primary school, shortly after I moved here to Viti Levu and I did my primary education at Assemblies of God Primary School in Kinoya.”
He moved on the attend Ratu Sukuna Memorial School (RSMS) in Nabua before enrolling at the Nasinu Teacher’s College, which is now the Fiji National University’s (FNU) Nasinu campus.
“I pursued a two-year program to study computing and graduated with a diploma in 1987,” he said.
Soko taught computing predominantly in various secondary schools in Suva. He also mentored several well-known citizens including Former Fiji TV news presenter Viliame Leqa, Weightlifting Fiji president Della Shaw, and current National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) director Vasiti Soko.
The former computing teacher also managed to fulfill his desire to teach at his former secondary school, RSMS, where he was instrumental in trying to instill discipline and improve standards at the school.
“I felt like there was another calling for me out there.”
“So, by the second school term of 2002, I just decided that I had enough of teaching and wanted to take a break, sit back and contemplate on what next step to take in terms of my career,” he said.
When asked what influenced him in making this important decision he said, “I wanted to just go home and sort of find my way out again.”
He eventually made up his mind that what he needed to do was to set up an enterprise that could sustain his family and over time become a valuable asset he could pass on to his children.
The birth of Sunnyville Bamboo Development
“One day I decided to head up to Colo-i-Suva to cool down. I lived just 15 minutes away and as I was making my way through the forest trails a yellow bamboo branch caught my attention.”
“It was unique, so I took it back home with me and planted it in one of the flowerbeds, and within two months it grew,” he said.
After about five years, Soko could see that the bamboo had matured and was flourishing in his backyard. From this, he saw a livelihood opportunity.
“My people, the people of Fulaga in Lau, are known to be among some of the best wood carvers, drua, and bure builders. So, I told myself I could use the traditional knowledge of my forefathers and create something special.”
With a chisel in hand, Soko started by carving out spoons, forks, creaming knives, spatulas, and other kinds of cutlery.
Soko also realised that because a single bamboo could grow up to 15 to 30 metres, he had to find a way he could sustainably use every single portion without any of it going to waste.
“The Ministry of Forestry directed me to a gentleman who was based at the South Pacific Community (SPC) office in Narere named Sairusi Bulai. So, for a good couple of years, I dedicated my time towards researching the best way to utilise bamboo without wastage,” he said.
By the year 2009, Soko was able to equip himself with all the knowledge and information he needed. At the same time, he had built up a network of professional connections and affiliations with bamboo enthusiasts, clubs, associations, and online groups around the world which also included the global bamboo organisation known as the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization or INBAR.
“Right now, I regard myself as someone who did not learn from a particular university but an open-world university.”
The name of Soko’s business also has an interesting history as it is the product of the fusion of his family surname and a television program.
“My children loved watching the TV series Smallville when they were little, and our family surname is Korosigasigari – a village in the sun. So, we took the sun from our name and merged it with the ‘ville’ from Smallville. That’s how we got the name,” he said.
Sunnyville Bamboo Development specialises in not only the design and production of cutlery but also ornaments, jewelry, furniture, decorations, and homeware.
The business was formally registered by Soko in 2010.
A bamboo champion
Sukulu Soko may be the only person in Fiji who lives and breathes bamboo and because of his in-depth and extensive knowledge of bamboo, he was brought back by the Ministry of Forestry into the teaching profession to mentor and guide woodworking students on wood utilisation, specifically for bamboo.
“There was a particular unit being taught at the Timber Industry Training Centre (TITC) at Nasinu on the holistic use of the bamboo plant and I facilitated this. I taught my students about the utilization of bamboo, the ecological uses of bamboo, and the important role it plays in climate change mitigation.”
Soko taught from 2010 until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted classes in 2019.
“Apart from teaching students, I was also part of the Sustainable Forest Management team where I was heavily involved in community outreach and awareness. Taking knowledge and skills down to the grassroots level in our villages and settlements and speaking to people about the right and sustainable use of timber and bamboo,” he said.
The Ministry of Forestry as well as businesses and individuals have also engaged with Soko on a consultative level to leverage his vast knowledge of bamboo.
“This ranges from assisting them with how bamboo can be used on their farms and the benefits it will bring in terms of improving soil, air, and water quality.”
According to Soko, it is the ecological importance of the bamboo plant that much of his advocacy and awareness work is focused around.
“I’ll give you an example. There is a mine in Namosi, and because of the mining, a lot of toxic waste is discharged into the water, soil, and air. This impacts the health of the environment leading to severe damage to crops, people’s health, and livelihoods.”
“But there is a solution. Because of my interactions with INBAR, I have proposed that bamboo can be planted around the contaminated areas. A lot of us do not know that bamboo is the best natural purifier,” he said.
Soko revealed that a single bamboo plant’s root can stretch out over five to six meters and it not only regenerates degraded soil but also helps in stabilising riverbanks.
He said bamboo leaves could sequester 20 to 30 percent more carbon dioxide than a single tree.
“There are large areas of degraded land in various parts of Fiji and planting bamboo in these areas can greatly assist in their regeneration and purification.”
“Around the coast, where communities are dealing with inundation and strong winds. Planting bamboo along the village boundaries can significantly assist in stabilising the shoreline and mitigating against the strong winds,” he said.
September 18 marked World Bamboo Day and during this year’s celebrations, Soko called for a reset in the way in which people viewed the bamboo plant.
“A lot of people tend to refer to bamboo as the ‘poor man’s timber’ but look at the developed economies of Asia, these guys have used bamboo for centuries and continue to use and appreciate it to this day,” he said.
Soko insists that bamboo is a more sustainable and eco-friendlier alternative to timber given that it is abundant, readily available, and matures much faster.
The integration of bamboo studies as a separate unit in tertiary studies is also something Soko hopes is in the pipeline, particularly for trade students as the opportunities with bamboo are endless.
“We are quickly approaching 2030 and we are scrambling to try and achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I bet you my bottom dollar that bamboos will be able to help us achieve over 12 of those targets. From cleaner air, rivers, forests to better crop yields, sustainable building and farming,” he said.
The Fulaga man says that challenges do exist in terms of changing perceptions about bamboo in Fiji. Yet he is determined to ensure that the unappreciated plant gets the recognition it deserves.
“I will keep knocking on all the doors. This is about a sustainable future for all of us and it is a cause that I will continue to champion. I will not give up.”
