Vanua, sometimes translated as 'the land and the people' is the name for the social enterprise we developed whilst spending two weeks in Fiji. During those two weeks we spent a whole week living in villages with Fijian families, the villages of Waivaka and Namatakula, listening and learning about the many stories and experiences of the people related to climate change. 

We were not there to help them become more sustainable, or build them houses. We were there to listen and learn about their concerns and struggles against climate change, how their crops, weather and livelihoods are directly affected and how their land is being swallowed by the sea.

We were there in order to take our learnings back to Australia, to somehow communicate their stories and lived experiences so that the people of Australia can be more active in the fight against climate change. Our social enterprise, 'Vanua' involved the production and selling of a zine, a small low-fi publication that would highlight the Fijian people’s resilience and empowerment despite the constant and destructive effects of climate change they feel daily. 

The theme we engaged with for the project was 'storytelling' and so we sought out as many stories as we could to be transformed into a form digestible for Australians. We asked ourselves 'How might we share the stories of Fijian resilience towards climate change for Australian students to learn and act upon?' Initially to be incorporated in the university magazine Vertigo, and then sold at zine fairs or university stalls, proceeds for the zine would be sent back to community-based organisations tackling climate change like Kai Ni Cola. 

Applying an agile methodology, we created an minimum viable product (MVP) and tested iterations of our zine for the engagement of the stories and content - keeping in mind we wanted to preserve the original voices of the storytellers who had given us their stories. Through focus groups and interviews we discovered we needed content that allows Australians to take action. The challenging part of our potential social enterprise was to continuously source more stories and experiences, to be translated into a visual form, as otherwise the zine format is inexpensive and desirable to the audience we were targeting. The stories we did find, were all about their resilience, their adaptability and their determination to never give up against climate change. When asked what they would do when the seas start to swallow the land, an elder said 'We would rather drown than relocate'.

Overall, I learned a lot about the importance of community and stakeholder engagement, MVP testing, building a social enterprise and cross cultural communication. I was repeatedly surprised at how resilient the Fijian people are, and how rich and vibrant their history and culture is. This experience is one I shall always remember, and its impacts on my practice as a creative practitioner will be lasting.