The Rotuma Project: Trailer

Using 360-degree photography, interactive digital design and storytelling, The Rotuma Project will take viewers on a virtual tour of Rotuma with interactive insights into cultural heritage, Rotuman wisdom, Rotuman language, geographic & ecological highlights, and personal stories. To date, a 360-degree map of Rotuma does not exist. The Rotuma Project aims to deliver this asset as one of the pillars of documenting an endangered cultural heritage.

Where is Rotuma?

The island of Rotuma is located on the outer edge of the Fiji island archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. The volcanic island is approximately 9 miles by 2 miles in area. While Rotuma has been politically incorporated by Fiji since 1881, the culture and language are closer to Polynesian islands such as Samoa, Tonga, Futuna, and Uvea. Rotumans make up a sizeable minority in Fiji, but to date remain an uncategorized ethnic group.

Urgency

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed the Rotuman language as one of the most endangered languages in the world, with only 15,000 speakers globally. Fewer than 2,000 Rotuman people currently live on the island and it is undocumented how many people of Rotuman descent live in diaspora.

Scientists are increasingly concerned that small island nations in the Pacific are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In Fiji alone, more than 40 low-lying communities are earmarked to be relocated to upper ground because of rapid sea level rise. In 2019, a group of Pacific island nations including Fiji declared a climate crisis saying that, “as early as 2030, their lands could become uninhabitable.”

Technology Meets Traditional Oral History

The creative vision for our finished piece is a professional, documentary-style, journalistic approach to a series of short stories stitched together in the innovative shell of a 360-degree virtual tour. Our artistic approach includes weaving in imagery, facts, interviews, and indigenous storytelling to feature the traditional heritage plants and unique geographical locations that house Rotuma’s rich biodiversity. The project will feature short videos featuring local wisdom, indigenous arts and crafts, dancing and music featuring lyrics in the Rotuman language.

We intend to utilize both traditional video documentary-style production along with the cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) 360-degree photography to enhance the interaction between the viewer and the stories while developing an immersive, intimate experience of exploring Rotuma, a remote Polynesian island that is closed to tourists in the modern world.

Sustainability & Empowering Indigenous Voices

Given our professional experience in videography, video production, 360-virtual tour creation, mapping, and storytelling, our goal is to create sustainable, mentored professional opportunities for Rotuman youth in the ongoing management and updates to The Rotuma Project channels. Our long-term vision is that The Rotuma Project will serve as a tool to teach and foster professional skills that may help Rotumans on the island to continue in the long tradition of Pasifika storytelling using new media and technology.

The Team

The founders of The Rotuma Project are Jonathan Fong of Motivate Fiji and Kathy Weber-Bates of Starhitch Strategic Communications. With a combined four decades of professional experience in communications, videography, web design, graphic design, storytelling, media relations and public relations, they are not only capable of implementing this project but are also inspired and motivated to see it come to life. The founders have both been impacted personally by the loss of knowledge that happens when each generation of Rotuman people passes. As descendants of Rotuma who live in diaspora, we feel we have a unique lens to both approach these communications deliverables with sensitivity and professionalism. It is their desire to contribute in a meaningful way toward protecting Rotuman heritage.

Learn More, Share & Support the Making of The Rotuma Project

Every dollar donated will help with production costs associated with bringing this project to life while elevating and empowering indigenous voices:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-rotuma...

Learn more about Our Values & Our Commitment:
https://therotumaproject.com/our-comm...

Music credit: Rako Pasefika
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