The drug of the Pacific

“Kava is the drug of the Pacific.”

Kava is the drug of the Pacific. A soothing drink that puts everyone on the same level and encourages discussion. Michael Koch, a German linguist who lived in Fiji for a long time, explains to us why he is seeking to reintroduce this social act in Polynesia, while Sébastien Galliot, a researcher at the CNRS, sheds scientific light on this ritualized exchange.