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Abstract: Kava, a beverage drunk in much of the South Pacific, is both celebrated and controversial. It is often considered an emblem of traditional indigenous practice but also criticized for its physical effects on heavy drinkers. This article reports the results of a study wherein tests were administered to schoolteachers in Fiji to measure effects of the previous night's drinking. The tests revealed that kava intoxication seems to affect processing speed but not working memory. The authors caution that the results must be balanced by acknowledgement of kava's role in bringing communities together in support of institutions such as schools.
Keywords: kava, intoxication, education, development, cognition, Fiji
Résumé : Le kava, une boisson fort répandue dans le Pacifique Sud, est à la fois prisé et objet de controverse. On le considère souvent comme un emblème des traditions indigènes, mais on critique l'effet qu'il peut avoir sur les buveurs excessifs. Cet article rend compte des résultats d'une étude où l'on a soumis des enseignants de Fidji à des tests mesurant l'effet de la consommation de la veille. Les tests ont montré que l'intoxication au kava semble affecter la rapidité d'exécution, mais pas la mémoire de travail. Les auteurs mettent ces résultats en perspective en rappelant le rôle que joue le kava dans les rassemblements communautaires concernant le soutien à des institutions comme les écoles.
Mots-clés : kava, intoxication, éducation, développement, cognition, Fidji
Introduction
How do you measure a hangover? The question might sound whimsical, but it has serious implications. From 2006 until the present, Aporosa has conducted research on kava drinking and education in Fÿi, aiming to understand how Fÿian educators might resolve a paradox: drinking kava is a central feature of much Fÿian socio-cultural life and a key facilitator in the running of many Fÿian schools; yet, overconsumption affects teachers who are hung over and struggle to teach their students about much more than the dangers of being hung over. The obvious solution-moderation in kava drinking-is one that educators routinely fail to achieve and, in 2000, Fÿi's Ministry of Education characterized excessive kava drinking by teachers as one of several factors leading to student academic underachievement (Tavola 2000:169; see also Williams 2000:187).
Kava is a local substance, but also a global commodity, and in...