AUCKLAND (Pacific Media Watch): A programme that develops handicrafts in Tonga will change people’s livelihoods and improve cultural tourism, says the project manager.
Monalisa Palu is the national coordinator for the cultural tourism support programme in Tonga. The handicrafts and cultural tourism support programme was launched in 2012.
The NZAID funded programme is collaborating with Langafonua handicrafts centre and will improve the quality and marketing of handicrafts as well as contributing to cultural tourism.
“By the end of the programme we hope to have given more opportunity for people to ensure their livelihoods are enhanced through their handicraft work,” Palu told Pacific Media Watch in an exclusive interview.
“Cultural tourism is also important especially for Tongans because of their rich culture and I hope that can be shared with visitors and tourists.” Monalisa said the programme was aimed at helping people and ensuring an income.
‘Grassroots’ approach
By 2015, the programme will come up with a draft of a financially sustainable model for the handicrafts sector in Tonga.
“The project is important because they employ those who are directly at the grass roots,” Palu said.
“We have women who have had no education. We have men who solely support their families through the sale of the handicrafts…so I think this project needs to continue to be supported and we thank NZAID for helping with that.”
Tourism advisor of the project Elizabeth Latham said the main message from focus groups was the demand for authenticity and wanting things that were “real”.
“Understanding the provenance and stories behind the products are important to people. It’s a real opportunity for us and for Tonga to deliver on this expectation and make it accessible for visitors,” she told Pacific Media Watch.
Monalisa said there is a lack of knowledge when it about Tongan culture.
“Tonga is a beautiful place, so rich in history and culture and yet so many people don’t know about it. Hopefully it will translate for more tourism receipts for our Tongans."
Training locals
The “core” focus of the programme was training, Palu said, and mentioned business and marketing training of local Tongans.
Palu, who herself is Tongan, also said she hoped to publicise the work and participate in festivals.
“By 2015, the programme hopes to have the beneficiaries continue on with their work with new innovative ideas, but at the same time preserving traditional knowledge and also having the capacity and the capability to make sure that their work actually translates to income that would help their families.
“We hope that by the end of this programme tourists are able to have a richer experience and understand more about our culture,” Palu said.
She also said she hoped those who participated in the programme would share the knowledge and teach others how to properly communicate the values behind the crafts and artists.
This story was written by Shilo Kino, a Graduate Diploma in Pacific Journalism student. Listen to the interview with Monalisa Palu and Elizabeth Latham by contributing editor of Pacific Media Watch Daniel Drageset. Transcript below:
Daniel Drageset (DD), contributing editor of Pacific Media Watch: Monalisa, first tell me your position and what you do?
Monalisa Palu (MP), national coordinator for the Tonga handicraft and cultural tourism support programme: I’m the national coordinator for the Tonga handicrafts and cultural support programme in Tonga. It’s an NZAID programme that partners with Langafonua ‘a fafine handicraft centre. The programme is a three-year programme that aims to enhance a sustainable livelihood of handicraft artisans as well cultural experience providers.
DD: What is your objective?
MP: We hope to enhance the sustainable livelihoods, and basically that means that by the end of the programme we hope to be able to have given more opportunities for people to ensure that their livelihoods are enhanced through their handicraft work. Not only that, but also cultural tourism, which is very, very important – especially for Tonga which has a very rich culture that can be shared with visitors and tourists.
DD: Do you feel that today there is a lack of knowledge about Tonga?
MP: I think that there could be more information about Tonga. Tonga is a beautiful place, so rich in history and culture, and yet so many people don’t know enough about it. But this programme, through the crafts and arts and the stories that we’ll be telling, will hopefully be able to share that with more people. Hopefully it will translate for more tourism receipts for our Tongans.
DD: Today, we’ve had a focus group here in Auckland. What is the main message that you get from them?
MP: I think that would be a question that would be better answered by our tourism advisor – we’re very lucky to have Elizabeth Latham who we have recruited for the duration of the programme. But we’re very glad that what we’re hearing from the participants today sort of echoes what we’ve found out through the scoping session and then the development of the programme right up to implementation. We keep hearing the same stories about wanting things that are authentic, things that are real, and things that go directly back to the communities and that’s what’s important about this. The programme is not only at the high level. This is a programme for grassroots people. We’ve seen that through our training programmes, where the participants have told us, right after three days of training, that they were able to produce things that could help with their respective families. That’s what we hope we can spread out. From today’s group, I think we’re very glad that we seem to be on the right track. What people are telling us, we’ll definitely try to implement as soon as possible, so that we can measure it and see the success of the programme.
DD: What concrete changes will you make?
MP: There are actually a lot of concrete outputs that the programme has, but by 2015 we have to have come up with a draft of a financially sustainable model for the handicraft sector in Tonga. By 2015, the programme hopes to have the beneficiary continue on with their work with new innovative ideas, but at the same time preserving traditional knowledge and also having the capacity and the capability to make sure that their work actually translates to income that would help their families. There are a few areas that we’re already touching on. We’re going to be giving business training. The core focus of the programme is on training, so there’s business training, there’s training in marketing – but we also hope to be able to publicise more of the work and participate in festivals. We’re also hoping to have a craft inventory, so we know what’s available in Tonga. But all these discrete outputs all come together, because we want to present handicraft centre and cultural tourism experiences that are truly Tongan and truly unique, and really helpful for who produce them in terms of their sustainable livelihoods.
DD: How would a tourist going to Tonga today notice the difference from the results you’ve been having?
MP: Well, I think to be quite fair this will take some time to implement, but we’ve been working hard over the past few months with our advisors from overseas to ensure that what we put into place and implement is reflective of what the tourists have [in mind]. For example today the focus group today, sort of reinforced what our experts have been telling us, so we’re quite sure of that. Now, we’re going to strategise on how to implement that. What was your question again?
DD: How a tourist would notice the difference as a result of the work you’re doing?
MP: The vision is that eventually tourists will get more information so they can make rational decisions about the wonderful products that they’re buying. But at the same time, all the participants keep saying is that they want to feel like they understand more about the product, about the artist, and they want it to be a richer experience for them. We hope that by the end of this programme, tourists are able to have a richer experience, they understand more about our culture. But it won’t end with just a programme. We hope that this is something that will continue on, that whoever is in the tourism industry, especially in the cultural tourism industry, can share this knowledge or can teach others how to properly communicate the values behind the crafts, the values behind the artists, and also the different areas because Tonga is truly unique.
DD: What is the main message you get from focus groups concerning Tongan handicrafts?
MP: Well, I think not just handicrafts, but the whole cultural tourism experience, is the profound desire to have authentic experiences. It’s what I thought would come from it, but it’s been reinforced so strongly about understanding the provenance, the story behind the products. All the people in the focus group today are people who want that kind of genuine experience when they travel, and they are attracted to Tonga for that very reason. It’s a real opportunity for us and for Tonga to make the most of that and be able to deliver on that expectation. All the pieces are there, it’s just about putting them together that’s accessible for visitors.
DD: Great. Monalisa, anything else you’d like to add?
MP: I just think that this project that we’re doing is quite important. Tonga, as you enjoy some assistance from New Zealand, but this project is so important because it goes directly to those at the grassroots. We have women who have had no education. We have men who solely support their families through the sale of the handicrafts, and this is not just this generation. Their parents have done it, and their parents before them have done it, and their kids are willing to continue it. I think in Tonga it’s very important that there’s continued support for it, and we’re very glad that NZAID is willing to help here, because it’s a lot of assistance for agriculture, for fisheries, but handicrafts employ so many people at the grassroots, and the results and the benefits are almost immediate. There’s not much else that they need. They just need the local resources, but they do need the expertise from overseas and the guidance and assistance and marketing and such. So I think this project needs to continue to be supported and we thank NZAID for helping with that.
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Daniel Drageset
