People

By Samantha Magick In an age where art is increasingly digitally-manipulated, there is no mistaking the artist’s hand in the work of Su Elliott. Elliott likes to leave the faint traces of her erasures and evidence of her brush strokes in her finished works. “To me it is important for whoever’s looking at the work […]

By Debbie Singh In September 2022, the VOU Dance Company in Fiji was awarded a grant of almost €180,000 through an African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) – European Union (EU) funded project to promote the sustainability of cultural and creative industries in the Pacific. The project is implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC) in partnership with […]

By Samantha Magick and Elizabeth Kolivuso Suva painter Jane Ricketts’ paintings are a window into Fiji’s history and history-makers, iTaukei and Indo-Fijian culture, cityscapes and intimate depictions of her family. Ricketts developed her interest in art at a very young age, at the knee of her grandfather, who painted landscapes. But it was a turning […]

By Rowena Singh “There’s never a last song,” says InsideOut lead singer and guitarist, Apakuki Nalawa about the band’s ability to fill dancefloors. “We have to literally run off the stage. People just don’t want to stop partying, dancing and singing.” InsideOut’s passion, iTaukei lyrics, melody and instrumentation has brought them fame across Fiji and […]

By Prerna Priyanka In a captivating intersection of art, environmental awareness, and cultural storytelling, Mere Nailatikau and Amer Kanngieser are set to launch their groundbreaking exhibition, “Oceanic Refractions.” The exhibition, which originated from a serendipitous encounter in Suva five years ago, promises a unique sensory experience that delves into the Pacific’s environmental challenges through the […]

By Samantha Magick On the Suva seawall at Nasese, a huge heart faces out to sea. The site of the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital, it is a symbol of the passion a family and the community they have built, have brought to caring for Pacific children with congenital heart defects. Established by the […]

By Samantha Magick A new detective novel set in Fiji brings to life a time rarely discussed beyond academic texts; the experiences of Indian labourers under Girmit. A Disappearance in Fiji follows Akal Singh, a 25-year-old Sikh police officer, sent to Fiji in disgrace after an indiscretion in his previous posting of Hong Kong. He […]

By Elizabeth Kolivuso The Frank Hilton Organisation raised over FJ$17,000 in partnership with the Shivas Regal Project through a charity concert fundraiser that was held in Brisbane last month. This was the first ever fundraiser for the organisation to be held outside of Fiji. The Frank Hilton Organisation provides essential health and support services to […]

By Ben Wheeler Sitting in the darkness at the final night of the Fiji Fashion Week, having already seen several designers parade their collections up, down, and all around the catwalk, I take a moment… I am enjoying this far more than I thought I would. Perhaps I am now a Fashionista? It would certainly […]

By Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti V5’s jazzy, soulful, and bluesy songs have a sound that sets them apart from many Fijian performers. So it is a shock to learn that the band members, 15-year-old Lia Daunakamakama, her sister 18-year-old Jasmine, and their close friend Vika Tuisawau, are so young. Vika’s brother, Sevuloni is the fourth member, and […]

By Elizabeth Kolivuso and Samantha Magick Suva painter Jane Ricketts’ Memories exhibition at the Oceania Art Centre is a window into Fiji’s history and history-makers, iTaukei and Indo-Fijian culture, cityscapes and intimate depictions of her family. Ricketts’ elegant use of watercolours, oil paints and paper collage bring her subjects, and their stories, to vivid life. […]

Nanuku’s Sisilia Naisiga By Kite Pareti Sisilia Naisiga took up judo at the age of 15 in a journey that has taken her to Japan, the Olympics and now Nanuku Resort in Pacific Harbour. Naisiga hails from Macuata in Vanua Levu with maternal links to Naitasiri in Viti Levu.  “When I was attending Cathedral Secondary […]

By Samantha Magick As the daughter of an international public servant, Sonam Sapra has lived all over the world. That nomadic, rich lifestyle is reflected in her latest fabric collection, titled ‘Worldly’, which takes ornamentation from many of the countries she has lived in and reimagines them in a new way. “When you see it […]

By Prerna Priyanka Self-taught artist, Jeke Viwalu Lagi’s new show Variant at the Gallery of Oceanian Art in Suva shows off his abstract expressionism in a new way, through the use of woodwork and paint. The exhibition at the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala campus, is a captivating display of Lagi’s distinct woodwork creations […]

By Asenaca Uluiviti and Sadhana Sen Fiji recently lost Dr Meraia Taufa Vakatale, a monumental woman leader who broke many glass ceilings with her numerous firsts. As an educationalist, diplomat and politician, she profoundly impacted the lives of tens of thousands in Fiji and the region, particularly young women in politics and anti-nuclear activists. Dr […]

By Samantha Magick When Los Angeles based Jasmine Yee Joy Bland finished speaking to a group of Fijian highschoolers recently, she was swarmed by girls wanting to ask further questions and take selfies together. Bland had featured on a panel organised by Fiji Fashion Week, describing her career as a data analyst and opportunities in […]

By Max Cross Mason James Lee has been a leading light in the Fiji art scene since his first exhibition in 2000. The self-taught, award-winning painter, muralist and interior designer, is of Chinese and iTaukei heritage. Born and raised in Suva, Mason feels a deep connection with his paternal family land in Bua on the […]

By Samantha Magick When Lagi Toribau first walked into Greenpeace Pacific’s Suva office more than 20 years ago, he could not have possibly predicted that it was the start of a career that would take him all over the world with the activist organisation. Even now, as he recounts his journey, there’s a faint tone […]

By Alipate Pareti Watching the Fijian Drua at home is a powerful experience, and Drua Coach Mick Byrne has said: “We have the best rugby fans in the world here in Fiji.” There is possibly no greater fan than Frederrick Raiwalui, the ground announcer for all the Fijian Drua home games. “I love this game. […]

“If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way” is one of the things Gyan Singh has learnt after almost 30 years in retail. Singh is a Sales Executive Officer with Jack’s of Fiji in Nadi.  The most fulfilling part of his job, he says, is meeting people from various continents […]

By Kite Pareti The devastation Covid-19 wrought on Fiji’s tourism industry brought out the best in many of Fiji’s tourism workers and operators. For Marriott Fiji’s Cluster Director of Human Resources, Farrah Shazleen and her team, it was a chance to lead a number of people-centred initiatives for Marriott staff and the community at large. […]

By Shazia Usman Picture this – two girls around 10 years old. Wearing two-sizes-too large psychedelic-coloured shorts their mums bought for them at some sale, catching the Number 21/22 bus on a bright Saturday morning in Samabula, Suva, Fiji. Their destination? The Suva City Library, of course.  They were great friends, these two, but stronger […]

By Kite Pareti The use of renewables in Fiji has eased the load for Atunaisa Cawaki. The 69-year-old was a underground cable jointer for the-then Fiji Electricity Authority (now Energy Fiji Limited) between the 1970s and the 2000s. From Pacific Harbour to Labasa, Cawaki and a group of apprentices he supervised laid some of the […]

By Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti Yesterday marked a special day for the descendants of the Girmityas in Fiji as they commemorated not only the shared pain of their history, but also the deep friendship that they share with indigenous Fijians. In a moving traditional ceremony in Naivilaca village in Noco, Rewa, home of the people who rescued […]