Background
The Cultural Enhancement Program of the Fiji Arts Council aims at promoting cultural industries at the grassroots level through Festivals, Exhibitions, Promotions and Workshops. Although the concept has been in existence, the challenge vests with the implementations as the Indigenous people vary in their cultural heritage. The objectives is to develop and illustrate the relevance of traditional skills and to retain their identity. In addition it is means of empowering women, men and youths to remind themselves of their traditions and create opportunities to generate additional income.
At present, there is a real need to preserve our customs and traditions for our future generations which will be lost if we are not vigilant enough for its preservation, for it is each and everyone’s responsibility that it remains intact at all times.
The three main objectives of research and cultural development are Traditional Skills and Resources within the community that is to;
- Identify traditional skills that belongs to each indigenous community
- To identify resource persons who are owners of traditional skills within the community
- To identify and develop natural resources within those communities to be used to create traditional products.
Skills Impartation
- To impart to other members of the community who have the knowledge of their own traditional skills;
- To develop other skills that are not traditional to that community;
- To enable incoming generation at the village level upgrade their standard of living;
- Maintain traditional skills for future generations;
- To strengthen cultural sustainability within their communities
Market
- To identify and develop markets for the products produced by communities
Resource People:
These Resource persons are recipients for the Fijian Crafted License. Fijian Crafted Licenses certifies them as legitimate makers and sellers of Fijian Crafted products and have now been recognized by Government for their initiatives in teaching their God gifted skills in village communities, National and International levels.
Also Recipients as live members for the Fiji Craft Society have also represented Fiji in Regional events such as the Pacific Festival and Melanesian Festivals. They have also been instrumental in various community handicrafts skills development workshop organized by the Fiji Arts Council and have also been awarded with numerous awards by the Fiji Arts Council towards their outstanding achievements in yearly craft competitions at both the traditional and contemporary category.
List of Community Development workshops are facilitated by Fiji Arts Council.
- Sansana Village, Nadroga
- Tikina Sawakasa, Tailevu
- Macuata, Vanuualevu
- Levuka, Ovalau
- Moturiki, Lomaiviti
- Serua, Namosi
- Koro Island, Lomaiviti
- Lawai/Nakabuta Village, Nadroga
