Monday, July 9, 2012

The Next Generation of Fiji Methodist Historians

It was a delight while in Fiji recently to find the state of Fiji's Methodist history scholarship in good condition. It was not so long ago that we tragically lost Dr Tevita Baleiwaqa when he was approaching the culmination of many years of fruitful research in his role as History Lecturer at Davuilevu. Now the succession is well under way. The recently retired Head of History at Davuilevu, Rev. Jolame Lasawa (also Deputy Principal at Davuilevu), has now commenced doctoral studies at USP - his topic being the History of Fiji Methodist Church since its independence in 1964.
The new Head of History is Rev. Peni Cabenalevu (pictured at Viwa), recently graduated with a Masters in Theology from Pacific Theological College. Peni's thesis topic was a study of Ratu Ravisa (Varani) and the influence of the island of Viwa on Fiji's political and religious scene from 1848-1855. Peni is also a very  knowledgeable student of his native language.  Teaching alongside Peni is Rev. Ilimeleki Susu - from the western side of Viti Levu (Sabeto). Susu's B.D. thesis on Fijian dissenters from the west (people such as Navosavakadua and Apolosi) covered a lot of new ground with an excellent component of oral history. His Master's thesis was on Methodist Theological Education (PTC) up to 1972.
Completing a talented young quartet is Ms Kirstie Barry, Australian born and with impeccable missionary connections (both Waterhouses and Leleans). Kirstie has become fascinated with the life and work of her great grand Uncle, Arthur Lelean, who served as a missionary in Ra and Ba from 1918 to the end of the 1930s. While obviously influenced by her Christian upbringing, Kirstie brings to bear on her topic a sharp intellectual mind and her writings (currently nearing the end of doctoral study)  will add a fresh and deep dimension to our understanding of Fiji Methodist History.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Celebrations on Viwa, 13 June 2012

I have just returned from a 7 week stay in Fiji, during which time I attended the celebrations on Viwa for the 200th birthday of John Hunt (born in Lincolnshire 13 June 1812). There were many memorable moments on that day at Viwa, not least the weather which was true to the wet side of the island - rain all day. The locals brushed it off, describing it as an important history lesson in showing what the missionaries had to put up with. The Viwa people were perfect hosts, taking the visitors into their homes for morning tea before delivering them to shelters for the official welcome to Ratu Epenisa, a direct descendant of Seru Cakobau. Also there were chiefs from the major confederations as well as Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi. The church's top executive were in attendance and the whole occasion was hosted by Rev. Peni Cabenalevu, a talatala from Viwa itself.
Highlights of the day included singing from the Centenary Choir, the cutting of a cake to honour the birthday of John Hunt and the unveiling of a plaque commemmorating the ministry of Hunt and his wife Hannah on the island of Viwa from 1842-8. Central to the day was the launch of John Hunt's original translation of the Fijian New Testament, printed by the missionary printer, Rev. Thomas Jaggar, on the island of Viwa in 1847. Hunt was assisted in this translation project by a number of first generation itaukei converts, including the man described by Hunt as Fiji's first theologian, Noa Koroinavugona.

It is heartening to report that the republication of this New Testament has captured the imagination and appreciation of the Church, the talatalas and the people. The New Testament is selling well, not least because of the hard work of Tauga Vulaono and her husband, Save Nacanaitaba. They have jointly financed the first print run of the New Testament and have marketed it through the media. Requests for the New Testament have come from beyond Suva and Tauga and Save will be responding to these requests so that the New Testament gradually becomes known around the islands.




In Suva copies are available from the Methodist Bookshop and the shop will accept orders as well for multiple copies.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

2012 - A Critical Year for the Methodist Church



The photo that accompanies this entry - taken a number of years ago - is of the current Assistant General Secretary of the Methodist Church,Rev. Tevita Baninavua(left) and standing next to him is Rev Dr Tevita Baleiwaqa, formerly - until his untimely death - Church History Lecturer at Davuilevu Methodist Theological College. They are standing outside the Baker Hall at Davuilevu. Tevita Banivanua, along with his Executive colleagues, faces a particular challenge this year. The last Methodist Conference was in 2008 and since then the government has banned the annual meeting. This year, as part of the government's preparation for a new constitution, the authorities have said that the Methodist Conference may go ahead. This will very likely see the elevation of Tevita Banivanua to the position of General Secretary and the election of Rev Tuikilakila Waqairatu as President. The latter is currently among a group of ministers held captive to the vagaries of Fijian law for allegedly holding a church meeting without the requisite police permit. In the light of the regime's recent decision to abolish the Great Council of Chiefs, the Church is under increasing pressure in its determination to maintain as far as possible a point of view separate from that of the government. The Church must reassert its right to hold meetings essential to the proper functioning of all church organisations and which have no direct political implication.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A memorable Qase Levu: Rev. A.J.Small









These are photos of the grave of Rev. Arthur J. Small, who was the longest serving Australian Methodist missionary in Fiji. He started at Bua in 1879 and served in many areas before becoming Qase Levu in 1900. He oversaw the shift of the mission HQ from Bau to Suva in 1903. He was the first missionary to live at the Pender St. property and his home stood for almost 100 years. The printing press was housed in the original wooden building next to the Butt St. Methodist Church. The Qase Levu was a man of gentle temperament with great wisdom and concern for all people. Small died in 1924 and his funeral stopped the nation. People lined the road from Davuilevu (where the funeral service was held) to the Suva cemetery.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Commodore and the Church

Recently the Fiji Government has announced the lifting of the Public Emergency Decree controlling the media and the holding of meetings including Methodist Church gatherings outside of Sunday worship. This included of course the quite extraordinary cancellation of the Bose ko Viti from 2009 - 2011.
What terrifies the government is the likely elevation of Tuikilakila Waqairatu to the position of Qase Levu.
The new Public Order Act, which replaces the PER does little to give comfort to the Methodist Church. They still require police permission for many of their meetings and they have little certainty that the Conference of 2012 and the Choir Competition will be allowed to go ahead.
It really is a test of the genuineness of this government in preparing for elections in 2014, to now see if the Church is permitted to resume its normal freedom of operation and go about its work without the degree of state/military interference that has been happening for more than three years

Friday, January 27, 2012

To the Glory of Whom?



It is some time since I added a blog to this site but thank you to my loyal friends who keep checking up from time to time. It is January 2012, the year in which we remember the birth of Rev. John Hunt(1812), who with his wife Hannah came to Fiji from Lincolnshire and spent nine valuable years in establishing Christianity in Fiji. It was a delight to trace direct descendants of John and Hannah Hunt, through their eldest daughter Eliza; their are a number of families and they live in the United States of America, very aware of their missionary heritage.
Since completing my trilogy on early Wesleyan History in Fiji, I have become absorbed in a project that involves the republication of the first Fijian New Testament, which was translated by Hunt while at Viwa - directly from Greek to Fijian. One thousand copies were printed on Viwa, itself an amazing achievement by the missionary printer Thomas Jaggar.
Hunt knew he was dying in 1848 and he requested his missionary colleague, James Calvert, to arrange for the Bible Society in England to print a further edition of 10,000 copies of the NT, with corrections to the Viwa edition that Hunt gave to Calvert. Calvert had other ideas. There is too much about this story to go into detail at this point (I'll be presenting a seminar on this at USP in May of 2012). The short account is that Calvert's towering and less than likeable personal ambition would not allow him to let Hunt's idiomatic translation receive the approval of the Bible Society and thereby become enshrined as the normative New Testament in Fijian. No, to the contrary, Calvert spent the next 15 years, until the early 1860s, mutilating Hunt's translation and producing a new edition that put paid to the original beautiful language that Hunt had laboured to produce.
Thus is something the Fijians are going to find very hard to accept: that thei current New Testament is a very inferior version, produced by a man determined at almost any cost to secure a legacy in print.