Yaqona (kava) and the school campus: Regulation versus facilitation

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55146/ajie.2022.6

Keywords:

education, delivery and facilitation, achievement, culture, identity, kava, regulation

Abstract

Yaqona (kava) is a culturally significant, non-alcoholic drink consumed nightly by many Fijians. Although yaqona is not consumed by primary or secondary school students, cultural protocols related to yaqona preparation and presentation are often taught in their schools, with students then presenting this indigenous drink to acknowledge visitors to the school, open events and support fundraisers. In the early 2000s, some within the Fiji Ministry of Education began questioning whether yaqona use by teachers was negatively impacting their teaching ability, suggesting it should be banned from the school campus. In this study, Fijian teachers were cognitively tested and interviewed following an evening of yaqona consumption with the results suggesting this indigenous substance can disrupt cognition and in turn negatively impact teaching quality the morning after consumption. Although development theory prescribes prohibition and situational bans in cases where indigenous substances negatively impact productivity, the author argues that prohibiting yaqona in Fijian schools would be short-sighted as the findings show that this traditional substance is critical to the facilitation of school function, identity formation and academic achievement, all elements necessary to development.

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Author Biography

Apo Aporosa, University of Waikato

Dr 'Apo' Aporosa is maternally related to the village of Naduri in Macuata, Fiji.  He has a doctorate in Development Studies from Massey University (New Zealand) and over 20 years experience as a development practitioner in Fiji and New Zealand. Dr Aporosa was the 2016 and 2019 New Zealand Health Research Council (HRC) Pacific Fellow allowing him to investigate driver safety following kava use at traditional consumption volumes. He is currently a lecturer and researcher at Te Huataki Waiora School of Health (.5) and School of Psychology (.5) at The University of Waikato.

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Published

2022-07-15

How to Cite

Aporosa, A. (2022). Yaqona (kava) and the school campus: Regulation versus facilitation . The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 51(1). https://doi.org/10.55146/ajie.2022.6

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