Going Easy but Serious: Keku March - 2012  There’s no other place in Honiara you can dance until morning. Unless it is a special occasion authorized by the authorities! Dancing till morning is synonymous with Kaovare past Marara School in the Kakabona vicinity, west Honiara. Kaovare – the proper name is Kovuare - is the brainchild of Charles Keku a part Guadalcanal, part Malaita - his late mother from Kakabona; and late father from Oibola. Mr Keku is a standard six primary school leaver from Marara in the late 80s. Keku started the night club from strong convictions it is better for indigenous Solomon Islanders to participate in untouched economic activities such as night clubs. Not shy away and leave them all up to foreigners. “I have land. Land is the most important asset. And I’ve got plenty of it here. “Look at this place. This is land which belonged to my mother and uncles. So what more do I need?  I don’t have money, but I believed that I could start just by starting?” He raved on. And given that strong conviction and determination, Keku started out in 1996 without a budget. “We started by using a small leaf hut which we fenced in by coconut leaves and allowed people to dance to DJ music. “We sold a few cartons of beer. And after a month, we continually increased capacity and service.” However, the ethnic tension in late 1998 to 2000 forced him to run away from his club to go and hide in land further west of the premises. When the problems were over, he found it hard to re-start. But given his previous experience, he began in the same way he started in 1996. Eventually, he recouped and re-strengthened his business. He did this by extending his leaf hut and expanding the dance space. Then he invited live bands to also perform and improved security around the area. But that progress was again hit badly. This time it was legal issues. His license was confiscated by authorities for allegedly operating illegally. In other words, according to authorities, his license was not proper and must stop hosting dances. “Because I am not very well versed with such issues, I thought the best way was to secure a lawyer to represent me in court. That helped me very much. In court my lawyer asked why the Kaovare license was deemed wrong when it was signed and sealed by the Liquor Licensing Officer of the Guadalcanal Province, holding up a copy to show it in court. That really helped me,” said Keku. But that was not the last time. The Kaovare was again back in the news – yet again accused of operating without a proper license. But once again, he was able to counter the allegations. Today, the Kaovare is still going in much improved facilities. He got rid of dancing on the ground and moved to a better place – a raised house. Today he’s adding a sports club house - soon to complete – and extending his dance floor to stand on a nearby reef. “This extension is going to be for members only and should complete by the end of April. “I want to make sure this place is ready for the Festival of Pacific Arts. Apart from this extension and the sports club house, that other much bigger building is a conference centre complete with its own kitchen and catering area.” Keku said organizers of the festival have asked him to host some of the activities in the area so this is why he is doing up those new buildings. But Keku is not just an enterprising man. He is a musician by profession. He started off as a bass player for Moana Drifters one of the popular bands in Honiara in the 80s and 90s. “I still love music. This is why I invested some money in an in-house band which I call Guadalcanal One.  That name really means a lot to me. And that’s what or how I really like Guadalcanal citizens to see themselves as. It’s not a big band.  But it’s just right for us for now,” he said with a smile. Keku also added that the advent of RAMSI in the country has really helped him. He said a lot of RAMSI officers who go and dance at the club gave him new ideas some of which he is now trying out. “Some came and said I should build another house for sports. You know, snooker, table tennis and darts. This is why you see the small house next door. That’s going to be exclusively for those sports.” As for the new extension to the dance house, Keku said that would be for members only. “This idea was again suggested to me by friends who came here to dance. It would be like an exclusive one for members. This means members will have to pay a certain annual fee to get in. I am not really an educated guy so when friends suggest ideas and I see value in them, I try them out,” he smiled. Asked if he has accessed funding support from the government through the responsible Ministry, for all he’s doing, Keku said he’s grown tired of asking so he’s just using the takings of the club for his extensions. “Workers of the Ministry of Tourism come here and dance and I tell them I need support. But no, I haven’t received even a single cent to date. It seems they’re more interested in helping foreigners when they ask but not indigenous people like me. But it’s OK, I am still pursuing my dreams. Maybe one day, the government will be able to help. But for now, I am just going by what I generate out of my own sweat,” he said. As for the future, Keku says he wants to add an eco-lodge as the next project. “I think I have already put up the necessary facilities to support such an extra activity. I mean here’s the club, there’s the sports club, there’s the conference facility and catering facilities so once that’s achieved this could be a one-stop place,” he said, smiled and looked west to the setting sun over Visale point. Asked the worth of his current assets, he again smiled and said he didn’t actually know, but five million is his estimate. If this is true, Keku, a standard six leaver, could truly be an inspiration for Solomon Islanders who have plenty of land but lack vision, drive, self belief and sheer determination. Charles Keku - very determined