As Pacific Island cultures grapple with the relentless combination of globalisation and digital distraction, a passionate Fijian academic is determined to turn the tide.
Dr Tarisi Sorovi Vunidilo, renowned archaeologist, museum curator, and author, is utilising the very technology that is often blamed for eroding tradition to safeguard Fiji’s unique cultural identity for the young and upcoming generation.
Her newly launched bilingual book, Fiji: People, Culture and Identity, and the accompanying digital animation, Na Vo Mai Namosi, represent a passionate, innovative response to what she terms a “double-edged sword”.
Dr Tarisi, affectionately known to her students, colleagues, and followers on social media as Dr T, spent a “labour of love” year crafting the book, a project born from years living overseas and realising the urgent need for resources tailored to Fijian children, both at home and in the diaspora.
The process, however, presented an unexpected hurdle – translation.
“The English writing was much easier for me personally,” Dr Tarisi explained in an interview with The Sunday Times.
“But the translating into the Fijian language was harder because we were trying to find the right words to match the actual word in English… I didn’t realise it was harder.”
The challenge was so significant it became a team effort, with her husband, Mr Vunidilo, stepping in as her Fijian editor.
The book’s core mission is bridging generations.
Dr Tarisi identified a critical gap, which was the diminishing transfer of oral history.
“Our grandparents are the sources of these stories and many of us Fijians today, we’re not spending a lot of time with our little ones,” she observed.
Her work explicitly reminds elders to “continue the tradition, to tell stories about Serua, tell stories about Rotuma, tell stories about Kadavu” while presenting these traditions in a format resonant with modern youngsters.
Topics familiar to them like sports, contemporary food, sit alongside depictions of traditional meke dances, clothing, and housing.
The threat is also the tool
When asked about the greatest threats to Fijian culture, Dr Tarisi was clear in her response, “technology and westernisation”.
She described technology as a “big distraction,” luring young people towards online gaming and social media trends at the expense of their own heritage.
Simultaneously, westernisation has gradually brought in a flood of external cultural influences that are now competing with iTaukei traditions.
Yet, Dr Tarisi is not retreating from the influence of digital technology, instead she’s using it.
“I’m using technology, to remind our younger generation about the beauty of their culture.”
This conviction birthed Na Vo Mai Namosi, a digital animation launched alongside the book.
The project, developed with Auckland-based Pacific Kids’ Learning (PKL), tells the story of the Vo (Fijian mudfish), the totemic creature of her husband’s mother from Namosi.
“I want the kids in Namosi to never forget the names of the creatures,” Dr Tarisi explained, listing the Ura (freshwater prawn), Sakelo (flag-tail fish), Duna (eel), and Vo.
The animation follows Ra Vo’s journey from the Namosi river to meet ocean creatures like the Babale (dolphin), Qio (shark), and Tovuto (whale), weaving cultural significance with vital messages about biodiversity and conservation.
“The conservation and protection of Fiji’s unique biodiversity is a major part of the story line as well,” she emphasised.
Using the digital space
Dr Tarisi’s rationale for embracing animation is pragmatic and inspired.
Noting how pre-schoolers instinctively navigate phones and watch global cartoons like ‘Peppa Pig’ and ‘Dora the Explorer’, she asked, “why can’t we do the same thing with our creatures? And start telling our story?”
Her vision extends far beyond Namosi.
Inspired by Rotuman academic Dr Vilsoni Hereniko’s animated film about Sina Ma Tinirau, Dr Tarisi passionately advocates for more local stories to be digitally reborn.
“I want to encourage younger Fijians, Rotumans, Indo-Fijians, those who are good with IT, to start telling a story on a digital platform and make more animation,” she urged, seeing it as a powerful way to engage children “much, much earlier in life” with their heritage.
She plans to expand the concept to include birds, land animals, and plants.
Identity as the foundation
The central message Dr Tarisi hopes young Fijians take from her book is profound, “culture and identity.”
She sees her role as a Fijian author being “the voice and be the face to these young ones that they can look up and say, ‘hey, she looks just like me’.”
This connection fosters pride and a sense of belonging.
Equally crucial is fostering a connection with the Vanua (land, people, and tradition) and nature,”nodra wasawasa (ocean), nodra uciwai (river)” and reminding children their origins are “unique and very special.”
This focus on foundational identity leads Dr Tarisi to endorse a bold rethinking of Fiji’s education system, drawing inspiration from Japan.
“Japan sets a very good example because the first few years of school is actually devoted to culture and mannerisms, etiquette,” she noted.
“Instead of us trying to learn about England, about France, about Germany, we need to learn more about our own.”
She strongly advocates for Fiji’s ongoing curriculum reform to embed a “stronger emphasis on cultural learning in school,” believing it’s the “winning formula” for raising adults grounded in and proud of their heritage.
“The earlier we start, the better it will be for the future,” she said.
Academics as guardians
For Dr Tarisi, academics and storytellers bear a profound responsibility.
“We play such a very important role because we have young minds in the classroom,” she said.
Academics need to “step away from maybe writing for a much older generation” and actively create accessible resources for the young, from primary school upwards.
“We need to set a very good example and take the lead in producing many of these kinds of resources.”
Her own work, spanning the Pacific region, particularly her time in New Zealand and collaborations with other Moana series authors from Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, and Māori scholars have reinforced the power of shared regional endeavour.
“I felt that I was not writing the book in isolation.”
Dr Tarisi Sorovi Vunidilo’s dual offering of her latest bilingual book and the vibrant digital animation of the Vo, is not just about promoting the rich iTaukei heritage, but rather a positive step towards fashioning indigenous folklore in a manner that is digestible and related to the 21st century mind.
In a way it shows the rest of us that maybe instead of trying to confront the incoming tide of globalisation and technological innovation, we must as the famous saying suggests ‘go with the flow.’
By bringing our culture and traditions to life in the digital world, we can tap into the vast and vibrant imaginations of Fiji’s children and young people, who are naturally drawn to the digital space.
Dr Tarisi is leading the way and has shown us that technology and tradition are far from being adversaries, because when harnessed strategically, are powerful allies in the fight for cultural revival.