Koto is one of 10 creatives and artists part of UNDP Pacific’s Supplier Development Program. This tailored program will support their growth and integration into local supply chains, expanding business opportunities while encouraging sustainable practices across the Pacific region.

In this interview as we celebrate Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises - or MSME Day - she shares her story of the continuation of her mother’s legacy in artistry.

Can you tell us how you started making traditional Fijian handicrafts?

Making Traditional Fijian handicrafts became a work of passion in my heart ever since my early teen days. This was when my dearly late mother Makereta Matemosi, an ordinary masi artist became the Fiji Airways logo artist during her late days, turned to business and selling her traditional Masi handicrafts for our family survival and educational financial needs, in 2000. This hardship situation saw her be the sole breadwinner for our family when my Dad lost his job. 

The above struggles experiences in life inspired myself a lot on continuing do my dearly late mother’s legacy on making traditional masi handicrafts with an ideology of dedicating our Matemosi Masi Artesian business achievements to my mother for her sacrifices for family survival, and through being my mentor.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

As a traditional Fijian masi handicraft artist I always love creating things that can exist in the modern business world, using the available natural resources that exist within our Pacific diversity.

While making traditional handicrafts I enjoy the quality checking of the finished handicrafts process, as this is the only point I can identify the emotional mood of the artist doing the handicrafts; reflecting the current situation he or she is going through personally.

What are some challenges you face in your business?

There are so many challenges faced while doing this kind of work: 

• Communication difficulties and accessing the internet to connect with our raw materials suppliers in the highlands of the mainland, and in maritime areas.
• Bridging the awareness gap with the grassroots level on teaching them how to have the right business mindset on trading natural resources as raw materials and the right mindset of managing the abusive usage of natural resources. And, the preserving ideology of positively sustainability and contributing more to our future economic growth.
• The fact that there are so few creative galleries or handicraft marketplaces to advocate and support our mindset of doing business on nurturing our artistic knowledge, skills of passionate artists.
• In addition, we need more awareness of safeguarding policies toward enlightening local traditional handcraft makers to create guidelines involving those in the commercial field.