Problems of Youth on Rotuma

The following discussion was extracted from postings on the Message Board beginning in April 1998.

Nowadays it's obvious that there has been an increasing number of young and underaged drunkards in Rotuma. How sad. Isn't there a regulation that should be enforced on underaged drunkards and illegal home brewers? Or even if there isn't, what should be done? Or has it become part of the Rotuman lifestyle (rhetorical question)? If it has, then I think "moderation" is the word.

Yes, I think that there is a problem with young people drinking to much, but can you blame them? What else can a young person do on the island? I think part of the problem is that once a year the island is "on fire" with an overload of social activities, plus the fact that relatives coming from overseas bring money, new clothes & ideas, etc. As a young person you have a great time (socially) at Christmas time, going to picnics, fara, dances & holiday time love affairs. Then when it's all over the relatives go back home, probably via Suva night clubs & the kids back in Rotuma have a life of working in the bush to look forward to. I believe that if there were more social activities for youth during the rest of the year it would help reduce drinking problems. Education from church or political leaders can also help. I think that we are very lucky that we have access to a large range of activities to fill time in our lives, like movies, tv, internet, football, etc. & we have the funds to make things happen. So I guess that people in Rotuma probably don't mind the occasional escape from reality. Don't we also escape from reality in the internet, movies, etc? Plus the culture of not discussing taboo subjects has to be overcome. I think that if we all put our heads together we can hit the problem at the root rather than at the end.We need to give the young people hope, education, and opportunities to expand their minds and income base. Maybe a good idea would be to donate some internet computers to Rotuma and do a deal with the government or Telecom Fiji to pay the costs.We all put in our five cents, including me, but what about the people concerned?

I'm aware of the limited hangout places and organized activites, but it's just sad that these kids have to turn to drinkin' to pass time year round. I guess it's because some, or most of them, dropped out of school too soon. On the other hand, it is sometimes necessary (as part of the culture) for a boy to be an early dropout and help take care of the clan's farm and land. So, drinking and having a good time is part of the enjoyment. However, as far as I understand it, we're talking about teenagers, or youngsters being alcoholics (a rhetorical statement). Moderation should be the word. Oh well, whatever... for the time being I'm just going to go save a penny-a-day and maybe one day this penny-a-day can be of some use to buy sports equipments, games, computers (can be a scarey tool), art studio (what for? they dropped out of school didn't they?--oh why not), musical instruments (sounds good), and other ways for them to explore their talents. Come to think about it, this is a broad issue to deal with. Well, we can talk about it can't we?

I understand that moderation is the key, but how do we get the message across to the youngsters.Maybe at school, or the doctor could come to the school or villages and speak about it. We could also enlist the help of governments to provide educational material (videos/brouchures). But the biggest stumbling block is the old way of sweeping touchy subjucts "under the carpet." So how do they encourage young people to stay at home when they see people coming over, see videos etc. of what the greater world has to offer. I agree drinking is not the way! I think if the island community is going to get serious about this problem it needs to come from the church, schools, chiefs & government that such activities should be regulated. It is good that somone cares!

The problems with youths and drinking too much is a problem the world over. It is becoming more and more pronounced the more westernised a society becomes.

I agree with the writer Coolie when they mention moderation. For in our lives if we take everything in moderation that can help us to a balanced lifestyle. The problem with alcohol (as any drug) is that we can let it rule our lifestyle. How we deal with our friends and peers, how we deal with our family.

I have seen first hand the destruction of life, the breakdown of family, the loss of friendships that alcohol and drugs can cause. I think (given my limited knowledge) that Rotuma has the opportunity to take the drinking issue and 'nip this in the bud'. You are a small and obviously tight knit community. You have the ability to take control of this problem that has plagued western society for hundreds of years. Regain your family and protect them.

To Contents

To Culture