In August 2016, national duties beckoned me to Fiji, where I had to make a presentation at a certain conference. What impressed me was the manner in which Fijians welcome visitors. The Fijians are popular for their signature greeting “Bula, welcome to Fiji!”
I also immediately fell in love with their common adage “I’m on Fiji Time”, meaning “Don’t worry about time; it will be done and if it doesn’t, it is not a big deal”. No stress when in Fiji!
For starters, Fiji Islands is an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a land area of about 18,300 square kilometres.
Fijians cherish the reputation of being friendly and their unique culture, which makes the country a world-class holiday destination. Fondly christened “The Soft Coral Capital of the World” by legendary undersea explorer and conservationist Jacques Cousteau, Fiji islands offer a variety of places of tourist attraction and related amenities. History has it that some ancestors of the first Fijians – the Lutunasobasoba and Degei – travelled from Lake Tanganyika in Africa to Fiji.
Apart from their obsession with rugby, people from this South Pacific nation have a penchant for festivals, which they strategically use to showcase their culture. Of course, they have a number of them. However, the Hibiscus Festival stands out as a unique one as it celebrates Fijian culture in all its glory. The Hibiscus Festival originally emanated from the celebration of the blossoming of the hibiscus flower, which signalled the arrival of summer. It is celebrated annually between the months of August and September.
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My visit to Fiji coincided with the Hibiscus Festival. During this period, the Fiji capital, Suva, located on the largest island, Viti Levu Island, turns into a beehive of activity as community members from surrounding islands and tourists gather to enjoy traditional music, food stalls, float parades, sporting activities, dance competitions and canoe racing.
Studies have shown that the Hibiscus Festival has an impact on Fiji as it has, over the years, contributed to the process of nation building while creating a positive attitude towards tourism among the populace.
But why should I bother you with all this Fiji stuff? Malawi is, this September, observing ‘National Tourism Month’. Probably, as we are celebrating National Tourism Month, there are some lessons that could be drawn from the Hibiscus Festival, in terms of promoting Malawi’s tourism and culture as well as unity. In Malawi and elsewhere, culture and tourism are inseparable. Culture could, therefore, be used to promote tourism.
Malawi is rich in its culture, characterised by diverse ethnic groups. These ethnic groups have their own ways of celebrating their cultural heritage, mostly through annual cultural celebrations. For instance, the Chewa celebrate their culture through the Kulamba ceremony; the Maseko Ngoni celebrate their cultural heritage through the Umhlangano wa Maseko Ngoni annual; cultural festival; the Lhomwe celebrate theirs through Mulhakho wa Alhomwe cultural festival; the Tonga do this through the Mdawuko wa Atonga while the Yao celebrate theirs through the Chiwanja cha Ayao Festival. Unity is the universal message that is preached in all these gatherings— usually graced by high-profile guests. For the individual ethnic groupings, these celebrations serve the purpose of unifying the groups. But if truth be told, such arrangement is not conducive to nation building and enhancing cultural harmony.
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Probably as we are observing National Tourism Month, it is worthy reflecting on how these individual cultural groupings could be brought together to celebrate their cultural heritage under one roof. A week, for example— just like the Hibiscus Festival— could be set aside within the National Tourism Month where all these ethnic groupings could have an opportunity to showcase their cultural heritage in various forms under one banner. Such arrangement could be one way of boosting tourism while enhancing culture, unity and nation branding.
Fortunately, there are some positive moves being undertaken in this direction, if the recent announcement by the Malawi Government to hold a National Cultural Celebration dubbed Umodzi Day is anything to go by. Ministry of Local Government and National Unity spokesperson was recently quoted by one of the online news outlets as saying that Malawi will be holding this event this year— an event that is aimed at “uniting Malawians divided in tribal and political lines”. The ministry mouthpiece further indicated that the activity will be patronised by all cultural heritage groups, religious and political representatives. Some good news, isn’t it?
Malawi designated September every year as National Tourism Month as it falls in a month when United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) member states and the rest of the world join hands in commemorating World Tourism Day, which falls on September 27. This year’s national theme is, according to the Ministry of Tourism, ‘Tidziyamba ndife Amalawi: Ipatse Moto’, loosely translated as ‘Charity begins at home’.
But when all is said and done, let this tourism month help augment the country’s tourism, nation branding and cultural harmony efforts as Malawi strives to position itself as a tourist destination.
