Even my own verbal language had to
be adjusted to suit the new environment. The idioms of the American
English language did not always go where the English language traveled,
with each new place developing its own slang or catch phrases to
serve them. For instance, the "grapevine" no longer existed,
but was replaced with an equally efficient mode of nonformal communication
called the "coconut wireless." And, with the close proximity
to Australia, "G'Day, mate" is an oft-heard greeting, along
with "Bula" (Fijian), "Ramram" (Hindustani),
and "Malo e leilei" (Tongan) among others.
In another verbal example, one
does not "move their belongings" from here to there;
instead, they "shift" them as in "shifting houses",
meaning moving out of one house and into another. You do not purchase
gasoline at a gas station for your car. You buy "petrol" from
the "petrol station" for your "transport".
You "get transport" from here to there, rather than "get
a ride". When something is not quite right or is inappropriate,
you would say it was "not on". If something was done
right, then it is "spot on" or "set".
Giving printing instructions on mechanicals (camera-ready
art) proved to be a particularly trying experience at times. At
one point, in an effort to print some stationary for the Fiji Museum,
the issue of "reversing" or "knocking out" type
and pictures from a solid color became an issue. The printer, after
several attempts, finally asked what the expression meant. Exasperated
after four bad press proofs, this artist attempted to explain. "Oh",
said the printer, "you mean to 'burn in.'" "No, " I
said, "that's what you do to plates."
The list goes on and on with some rather
interesting challenges to the creative who must communicate across
the culturally diverse seas of the Pacific.
There
are no Tulips in Fiji
Oblivious to what might seem an insurmountable
task, the members of the University Extension staff, who prepare
much of the distance education materials used at the various centers
around the region, do their best to piece together meaningful publications
with some assistance from the Media Centre. Some of the difficulties
ahve come in the form of too close of a reliance on "canned
art", or clip art, especially that which now comes on CD-ROM,
which often has about as much cultural sensitivity as stale white
bread. Simple things we take for granted as our "store" of
symbols in western society just don't apply here. Though pressed
for time, the USP Media Centre's graphics staff does their best to "Pacifikize" the
graphics, changing hairstyles, dress, and adding relevant details.
When not in a mad rush, the artists have enjoyed creating fresh drawings
relating the subject matter to the audience being targeted.
Sometimes just the knowledge of certain
geophysical details become important. Take, for example, the logo
developed by this graphic artist for the Fiji government's annual
National Disaster Awareness Campaign. With the general concept developed
by the consensus of a government committee, the artist created a
stylized symbol incorporating the three major disaster considerations:
cyclone, tsunami/earthquake, and fire. Floods were represented in
both the cyclone and tsunami design. A lightning bolt was added for
emphasis with the overall shape taking on the look of a spinning
cyclone.
Though the general design was accepted, complete
with the government slogan wrapped around the symbol, it wasn't
until the final artwork was prepared that everything came to a
halt. All because of one important detail. The cyclone was spinning
in the wrong direction. Due to the earth's rotation, storms rotate
clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the
southern hemisphere, the result of what is known as the Coriolis
effect. It is the same thing that makes the water spin in a clockwise
whirlpool motion as it goes down the bathtub drain. Below the equater
the water will spin in the opposite direction. The design was adjusted
quickly with only a few minor difficulties in maintaining its "integrity".
The
Disaster Preparedness Logo for the Fiji Government.
