High Commissioners come and go : It's time to frock up

There are some real pluses about living in a small ex-pat community as we have here in Kiribati, we all get invited to the Australian social functions.

There are about 110 Australians registered as being temporary residents here. Most of these would be part of the capacity building workforce (volunteer, paid and consultants) along with diplomats, Aid agencies and some military support. Whilst some people have 1 or 2 year contracts others are coming and going to oversee projects so the numbers of Australians actually here at one time can often be less. There’s nothing like a good night out of food and drinks to bring the Aussies out of the wood work !

 We have had one Australian High Commissioner finish their term here and another start and earlier in the year was the “big one”, the visit by the Australian Governor General Ms Quentin Bryce. So there has been both a farewell and a welcome dinner in the last five weeks and before that a wonderful luncheon all hosted by the President of Kiribati and his wife in the presidential Mwanabea.

The white card invitations are normally hand delivered to your workplace. There are no letter boxes, numbered houses or street signs here and given you may get your invitation on the day of the actual event then hand delivery is good !

The invitations state dress as “Island formal”, that T/Shirts are not accepted and that short trousers are not permitted if not worn as uniform. I especially looked forward to the first event just to see what the fashions of the Pacific may be and how loose one determines what “island Formal” are !

I was pleasantly surprised, there are men here that do have long trousers in their wardrobe, a few women that actually ware heels and on one event the First Lady looked particularly stunning.

It was the Australian Governor Generals visit that really set the standard and gave us lots to talk about “what will she wear, how will she go with the this heat, doesn’t she always looks stunning” etc. Her visit to Kiribati didn’t disappoint, the visit may have only been about 7 hours but she looked amazing and I hear she had at least one change of outfit. She is one person that a garland really suited and certainly looked more comfortable with flowers in her hair than a couple of her accompanying Federal Police Officers !

 Australian Governer General Ms Quesntin Bryce looking wonderful and the President of Kiribati His Excellency Anote Tong 

Living on a hot and humid atoll mostly means wearing shorts, loose shirts and skirts if you are attending a meeting so I for one welcome any occasions to “frock up”.  I bought two of my favourite dresses with me (both red, one with white spots & the other baby doll) and a couple of non-work sort of skirts but am now the proud owner of seven dresses and umpteen more tops. The op shops here have wonderful hand me downs from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the US. Seems every country that sends aid here also sends there second hand clothes !

Like many celebrations in Kiribati there is an order of proceedings and formalities. So for these events the President and his wife greet and shakes hands with arriving guests before we find a white clothed table in pole position or far enough away not to be part of the entertainment.

The MC, which so far has been an I-Kiribati women welcomes everyone and introduces the pre-dinner entertainment, several groups of cross legged performers sit waiting for the spot light. First up are the young dancers, the girls are wearing grass skirts & bras (yes, also made out of pandanus), armlets, a sash and shell belts that really highlight the hip wiggle. The males wear a wrap around below knee length skirt sort of arrangement (much like the mats here) and they all wear the beautiful flower garland.

The singing starts with a call and response that to me is like an invitation to dance (well, not me personally but that does come !). For the males there is lot’s of knee bending and loud hand slapping on the skirts/mat around their waists and for the women enough hip wiggling and I reckon would give a hula hoop dancer a run for their money.

From dancing it’s over to singing, a seated male choir that are facing each other in a circle with the guitarist in the middle, such beautiful voices. It seems that everyone in this country sings from an early age, if anything is second nature here it is the ability to sing, in tune and anywhere.

Traditional I-Kiribati dancer

Entertainment part one is over, now it’s the formal speeches. The presidents is out of the gates and heading to the lectern that holds a style of tiffany lamp I haven’t seen at any of the local shops and his written notes. Every I-Kiribati address is opened with some set words and the audience respond with “Mauri Mauri”. Given each of the events I have attended are for Australian guests of honour the speeches have run in a similar vein, ”…. the long standing relationship between our countries, partnerships, challenges, working together, friendship, fishing, our good friend Mr Richard Marles  (Australian Parliamentary Secretary for the Pacific Islands), climate change……………..”

The guests respond with equal niceties and a few new words, the out going High Commissioner shares a fishing story, but hats off to our new High Commissioner who four days into his time here wraps up his speech in

I-Kiribati with :

“Te Mauri (Health)

Te Raoi (Peace)

 Te Tabamoa (Prosperity)”    

Now is over to some I-Kiribati music and what they call rock and roll dancing. The performers each go and invite a guest to dance, this is done in actions rather than words, the invitee approaches the guest and with two hands facing up at about waist height they invite them back to the dance floor. Depending on your desire to dance (and the wild the better) this is where your strategic choice of seating comes in, those in the tables closest to the action watch out !

I can’t sing to save myself but I am happy to report that I have been given the thumbs up for my dancing so I’m happy to hit the floor.

It’s onto 8.30pm when these formalities wind up and my tummy is normally grumbling so I am happy to have the minister/priest invited to say grace and know that there is some wonderful local food to come.

After the official table we take our turn to the feast laid out.

The night continues with more performances, I-Kiribati R & R dancing, the kava bowl is flowing, the Australian red wine is flowing (doesn’t anyone in this place drink white !) and given the buses will have ended thought go to how to get home.

You can tell the volunteers in this place they have “doggy bags”, but I promise they are for the dogs ! My aptly named “4 legs” didn’t know what to do with a bone when I threw it to him, in Kiribati the animals like most of us eat coconuts.

 This is "4 legs" he adopted me, he's about 7-8 months old and likes coconuts and now bones.   

Up next : The stress of technology, especially when being interview live on Australias national broadcaser for “Life Matters” !