People

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 Kite Pareti What are some of the lessons we can learn from the late Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna’s legacy? Fijian political sociologist and Vice-Chancellor Pacific at the University of Canterbury, Prof. Steven Ratuva reflected on the former statesman’s character and contributions at a well-attended seminar held at the University of the South Pacific in […]

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 […]

By Alipate Pareti Fiji’s Naibili Vatunisolo is one of the best parasports athletes in the South Pacific region, having won a bronze medal in discus at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She acquired her disability after undergoing knee surgery in 2010. In 2017, she represented Fiji in the Fazza Para-Athletics Championships in Dubai, and […]

Part Two: Reflections of the Fiji Fringe with Sharleen Ali By Ben Wheeler Sharleen Ali is dynamic. She bristles with a creative energy that seems to produce so many thoughts a minute that if there was a way to convert them to electricity, her ideas could power a small village. It is this potency that […]

By Alipate Pareti Remember that small white medic vehicle with a stretcher bed that speeds into action every time there’s an injury on-field at the national stadium? Well, meet Setareki Koro, a 69-year-old man from Bucalevu, Nakorotubu in Ra. He is the man behind the wheel of that medic cart, and his sole responsibility is […]

Warwick Marlow on turning trash to cash, and bringing Fijian art into hotel suites By Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti Walking into the domain of an artist is an incredible feeling. Everywhere you look is a mirror of the artist’s beautiful mind, every corner demanding to be noticed. This is certainly the case when you step foot into […]

Classical operatic singing is becoming a regular feature of Fiji events, thanks to the talented vocal group, Pasifika Prima Voce. Founded by Sunia Soko Loga, a classical vocalist who has returned to Fiji after years studying music at Kosin University in Busan, Korea, the group leaves audiences rapt with their powerful, harmonious voices and stagecraft. […]

Words and photos: Angus Delaney Mana Coffee is one of many businesses around Suva that’s getting an artistic makeover from superb Fiji artist Jack Eastgate. The mural, focused around a tanoa, is one Jack hopes customers enjoy as much as he does. “I was really excited that they allowed me to put this up and […]

By Ariela Zibiah A political cartoon published in 1977 in Fiji has taken on a rather poignant meaning, as it could’ve been speaking to today’s political impasse. The cartoon depicts Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, whose party had just experienced its first loss after two elections, leaving on a boat (Leadership) and Siddiq Koya, the then […]

Supporting the world’s human rights activists from Suva By Samantha Magick At the height of Fiji’s Covid-19 wave last year, one Fijian woman was working from her kitchen table in Suva to help arrange the evacuation of women activists from Afghanistan. Virisila Buadromo is the co-lead at Urgent Action Fund Asia and Pacific, a feminist […]

By Kite Pareti Plantation Island Resort’s Sales and Relationships Manager, Apisai Vasu, is quite literally, a jack of all trades. Vasu has been at Plantation for more than 20 years, joining as a trainee straight out of the Fiji Institute of Technology’s tourism and hospitality school. “From tourism school, I joined PIR doing reception work, […]

Fijian activist Komal Kumar has received the 2022 Simone Veil Prize for Gender Equality. Kumar is a strong advocate in climate change, ethics, feminism and politics, and was selected for the Prize by the French Embassy in Fiji in March last year. Kumar said she felt very humbled and grateful to have accepted the award […]

Two Fiji university students have launched an innovative project to provide better aid to the visually impaired. The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Shahil Prasad and Salveen Deo garnered praise from lecturers and students alike for their assistive device that can detect objects and computes the details to produce an audio text output that […]

Fijian polyglot, Paea Nawaqatabu is looking to publish a new Japanese language book for Pacific Islanders. Learning a new language can be quite a task, so the 27-year-old college student wants to ease the load by making a short, introductory guide. “As an islander, I struggled learning (Japanese) the first time because I wasn’t a […]

Writer: Anendra Singh Mother Earth speaks volumes when it comes to defining life, but the Reverend James Shri Bhagwan believes a more universal dialect does that better. In trying to put global existence on its axis from a Pacific Island perspective, Reverend Bhagwan goes deeper to elevate Mother Ocean’s role as the planet’s life source. […]