Profile: Jope Tarai

(published by Wansolwara)

ON a panel to discuss national politics last month, a largely unknown young man sat shoulder-to-shoulder with three of Fiji’s prominent political figures, Sitiveni Rabuka, Shamima Ali and Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi.

Jope Tarai was the young charismatic voice that represented USP students and by the end of that evening, he had the room silent in admiration. Human rights advocate Faye Volatabu was particularly impressed and encouraged to find a positive young youth who called for youths to do what they can, in the community.

That voice belonged to Jope Tarai, a postgraduate governance student and teaching assistant at USP. An advocate for youth and youth participation, Jope stamped his place as an inspirational young speaker and as a commendable panelist among his seniors. As expressive and outspoken as he is on stage, he seems to be a humble person at heart, as he kept shying away from speaking about himself.

Though a son of Tailevu, Tarai chose to identify himself with his mother who is from Waikete. He talked about how closely he was tied to his mother. He seemed disinclined to discuss his father, but later briefly explained some of the hardships he faced growing up.

“My father was a very ruthless man, he said. “I had to go through a classic case of domestic violence and my paternal family was where certain families were for certain children really don’t care.”

It was curious that Tarai initially pursued a degree in science for his undergraduate study.

“I pushed myself to do it because it was my mom’s wishes and my mother was the driving force behind everything for me,” he says.

Unfortunately, Tarai’s grades dropped because of his lack of interest in the subject and he became more interested in other things.

“I would notice issues that I would usually feel weird that my friends didn’t notice especially around campus and around the country,” he explains.

“There are a lot of things you notice but just to talk about those things compounded with the cultural barrier that we have there are some things for us  young people that we don’t talk about.”

Towards the end of his last semester, Tarai had one more elective he had to do and that was politics.

“The politics electives had a much higher grade and I knew that this was a turning point for me,” he said.

Sandra Tarte was Tarai’s lecturer in 2011 in two of his undergraduate courses for Politics and International Affairs Program.

“He is mature, thoughtful and hardworking and is deeply interested in current affairs and world and regional politics,” she says candidly about him. “I can confirm that Jope is an exceptionally talented student, who has an obvious aptitude for the subject of international affairs.”

Tarai graduated with his degree in Science and began working part-time, as well as a tutor for Korean students.

After realising his passion for politics, Tarai returned and enrolled for an undergraduate study in Politics. During his studies in his 300-level, he was approached by a lecturer who suggested for him to apply for postgraduate studies.

“I applied, a few months later a response came that they accepted my application,” he said.

Taiai says politics was a learning point for him.

“Politics opened it up for me why these things were not that way,” he said. “The more you know the more you want know about other things.”

Tarai began his advocacy work trying to get young people to learn how to ask questions. He started with the Inter-disciplinary Climate Change group and was involved in FALE and Radio Pasifika. Radio Pasifika still continues to run the climate change program called Talimagimagi.

Tarai became involved on more public platforms like student debates where he met Glen Finau during the FBE inter-school debates.

The FBE team was approached by the journalism department for a debate on the topic, “Media Freedom is essential for democracy.” Finau asked Tarai’s assistance for the debate team because he felt that the topic was outside the field of economics.

“He graciously accepted my request and was instrumental in getting the team ready and the main reason for our victory in that debate,” Finau says.

Tarai captained the USP debate team that won the 3rd Europa shield last year and also won Best Debater Award.

Finau said that Tarai was the heart of the team and a great leader.

“He has a true gift in public speaking. Anyone who is in attendance when Jope speaks cannot help but be mesmerised by his eloquence and inspired by his ideas,” he said.

Tarai continues to strive for youth participation and promotes their engagement with the happenings of society.

“We can’t drive any organisation, we can’t drive any student movement without the students so that was basically the first piece of what I want to learn to just get people to think or talk and not rely so much on other people to think for them,” he says.

Finau said that he could see Tarai becoming a leader for society in the future.

“In a time when there is a lot of uncertainty and a lack of true leaders, we need more youths like Jope. He is making a great change and he is empowering and giving a voice to many youths in Fiji.”

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Dispelling squatter myths

Published on Wansolwara Online and republished on the PACMAS blog.

It’s a chaotic scene of make-shift homes made from rusty iron sheets, worn-out tarpaulins and even discarded plastic panels. Space is not a luxury here.

 The unattractive scene is a reality of what we see near our urban and sub-urban areas. These are squatter settlements. The term is heavily-laced with stereotypes, and, for some of those who don’t know better it is accompanied with a wince and grimace.

Those who do not live among them might find it difficult to understand what life is like in a squatter settlement. In fact, research has established that most of what people know about squatter settlements is far from the truth. These myths were exposed to a group of journalists who were given the opportunity to visit squatters at a workshop on housing rights. The group visited a squatter settlement in Tacirua. It is home to about 3000 people. A UN-Habitat background feature had a list of the most common myths surrounding squatters.

I was one, guilty of harboring these ideas when I first ventured in to meet the people at the Tacirua settlement. When we arrived, they had gathered in one of the larger houses to welcome and speak to us. The sense of togetherness was overwhelming, considering the multi-ethnic backgrounds of the residents. Let’s explore the seven main myths that surround squatter settlements:

 Myth #1: “Squatter settlements serve no purpose.” Barau, a young man from the settlement talked about how his family came to the main island for education and work. They managed to rent a house for some time but with the cost of living and supporting the children, they had to move to an informal settlement. That way, his younger siblings could go to school and he and his parents could work to support them. The informal settlement was home for them and many others. It was their life-line to cater for the cost-of-living and give their children a better future.

 Myth #2: “Slums are the fault of slum dwellers who do not want to help themselves.” This also proved not true. There was a man present, Timoci, from Kadavu who was married with eight kids. His children all attended school and his eldest son attended USP. Timoci planted grog in Kadavu to support his family and travelled back and forth to tend to and sell waka. Housing and land were too expensive, even with the reasonable amount of money he made from the grog. The most affordable home he could build was at the Tacirua settlement and he took the offer, choosing to at least have a home for his family that was nearer to school. He is obviously a hard-working father and husband, wanting to help himself and his family.

 Myth #3: “All squatter settlements are the same, and all squatters are poor.” Timoci is able to pay off tertiary fees for his son and support eight children. He makes due with what he earns from the grog he sells. Curiously, the taxi driver that drove us to the settlement also lived there with his family. Both he and Timoci earn a reasonable amount of money. On the other hand, Barau and his family receive minimum wages and struggle to take care of everyday expenses. A considerable amount of those in squatter settlements are poor but not all.

 Myth #4: “Slum dwellers are a burden on the economy”. During the workshop, Fr. Kevin Barr presented statistics that showed over half of the population in employment was living in poverty and 15% of these reside in squatter settlements. At the squatter settlement, those that I spoke to above 16 and not attending school were employed. Otherwise the elderly and mothers stayed home. Barau was 20 and he left school at 17 to work at a cement factory, like most of the young men in the settlement. Instead of being a burden, these people can contribute to the economy and do so, being the main contributors to the informal sector.

Myth #5: “Crime emanates from the slums.” The families at the Tacirua settlement had small arrangements between each other. Some families share water and electricity between them, seemingly content with their lives. Sadly, it’s those in squatter settlements who are easy victims for crime. Barau expressed that the lack of lights made it unsafe for women at night. He said, the settlement was safe, since the families knew each other but it was the nearby neighborhoods that were a cause for concern.

 Myth #6: “Squatters are just people who don’t want to pay rent.” No one wants to pay rent. I would love to get a place and not pay anything but that’s just not how it works. For this community it appeared that everyone in the settlement paid what they had to the land-owner, who on some occasions increased rent to fund his family functions. They paid to keep their homes and avoid eviction.

 Myth #7: “The poor contribute nothing to society and nothing good ever came out of the slums.” Most of the houses in squatter settlements were built from scratch, with limited resources. The plumbing and the alternative water sources also created from the people’s own initiative. Majority of those old enough to be employed are working and braving the meager wages with a budget that helps them survive. These capabilities, creativity and hard work are hard to find even in our “rich” societies. They could contribute much to society if given the chance. Society’s perspective on squatter settlements should be readjusted to bring about change. It is ironic that to survive what they do, they are some of the strongest of our society but yet the most marginalized.

 (The names of those mentioned have been changed for the purpose of this article and the name of the settlement not given.)

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