Whats New

By Prerna Priyanka In a ground-breaking initiative aiming for inclusivity in the arts, the Fiji run of MAMMA MIA! The Musical is gearing up for a special ‘accessible performance’ on February 10, 2024. Directed by Michael Payer, this rendition of MAMMA MIA! promises to dazzle audiences while serving as a platform for local talent. The […]

By Anirban Mahapatra After almost an hour of navigating through lagoons flanking the southern coastline of Kadavu island, the dive boat finally reaches a rocky channel that provides a way out of the submerged mountain walls of the Great Astrolabe Reef. As it cautiously steers around barnacled boulders strong enough to breach battleships, the colour […]

Rarotonga-based filmmaker and playwright, Glenda Tuaine’s short film, Taonga: An Artist Activist, will be screened for the first time in Fiji today at the third Pacific Human Rights Film Festival. The 15-minute short film is about Mike Tavioni, a renowned Cook Islands master carver, vaka builder, painter, poet and activist. Tuaine’s first encounter with Mike […]

Shakil Zoro Bhamji, better known as Zoro, was an entrepreneur at an early age, selling fruit  by the roadside in Ba  to pay for his school fees and supplies. “I used to see all the ladies from across the village sell their mangoes on the roadside. So during school holidays and weekends, I used to […]

Surf’s UpThe elite World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour is back in Fiji. The grand event will see the top surfers in the world return to Cloudbreak, a well-known spot for perfect waves near Tavarua Island. It will be the last event to help decide the WSL Final 5, ahead of the one-day WSL Finals […]

The third Pacific Human Rights Film Festival starts tomorrow at the University of the South Pacific’s Japan ICT Performance Theatre in Suva with an important film about rugby in the Pacific.  The opening film is Oceans Apart, which will be screening in Fiji for the first time. Festival Director, Ben Wheeler, says this year’s festival […]

VegFest Fiji 2023 starts tonight, and at this year’s event you can learn how to make vinegar and kombucha, share brunch with your children, or go vegan at some of Suva’s most loved restaurants. This evening’s opening event, a dinner at Lami Novotel, is by invitation. But the rest of the program is open to […]

By Vittoria Pasca The plant-based dining scene has been steadily growing in Suva in the last few years, thanks to the opening of new vegetarian restaurants and eateries, and an increasing number of traditional restaurants adding tasty vegan-friendly dishes to their menu. Here are some options to check out. Health Veggie Restaurant  Equally popular among […]

Maui Bay on Fiji’s Coral Coast is a popular refuelling stop for both petrol (the TOTAL station is open 24/7) and stomachs on the Nadi-Suva highway. It is known for two landmarks, its spectacular long jetty—site of many amateur photo shoots—and a wall exploding with colourful frangipani and bougainvillea, that shields some of the area’s […]

Fiji will host its first-ever National Rugby League match next year, thanks to Fiji Airways’ sponsorship of the Melbourne Storm team. “2024 will see Fiji Airways enter into new sponsorships and partnerships that capture audiences, not only in the Pacific, but across the globe,” the airline’s Chief Executive, Andre Viljoen, said at the launch of […]

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 […]

Discovering the Nabukavesi River By Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti Nature Fiji-MareqetiViti’s ‘Meandering Mates’ adventure for children and their families in the highlands of Namosi is a window to understanding the area’s rich biodiversity, and how it is under threat. The organisation’s vision is for a healthy environment that maintains its diversity of species, habitats, ecological integrity, and […]

By Kite Pareti As a teenager, Nilesh Chand dreamt of becoming a car mechanic. But life took a different route when he and his family left his hometown to find greener pastures. “I’m originally from Tavua. When we moved to Nadi, I joined the hotel industry and started working as a commis [novice] chef,” 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 […]

On the sidelines of Fiji’s biggest soccer tournament at HFC Bank Stadium, hundreds of people from a remote island in Fiji have gathered at the stadium’s car park to celebrate their cultural roots. Vanuabalavu (or long island) is part of the Lau group of islands, just east of Viti Levu. Vanuabalavu has 17 villages, all […]

By Elizabeth Kolivuso Fiji’s ‘Vude Queen’ will become the dancing queen as the star of iconic hit musical, Mamma Mia, when it is staged in Fiji next year. Laisa Vulakoro will star in Mamma Mia in February, which is being presented alongside the second Fiji Fringe Festival as part of Arts Season 2024.  The Fiji […]

In a cheeky campaign fronted by Wallabies legend, Lote Tuqiri, Australians have been invited to become ‘Flying Fijians’ and support Fiji’s efforts at the Rugby World Cup. Australia has missed out on the quarter-finals at the tournament in France, but Fiji’s team is through for the first time in 16 years, despite a narrow defeat […]

By Alipate Pareti The Spartan Games has earned the reputation of being the world’s leading obstacle race course and it is coming to Fiji this year. Spartans were one amongst the most feared and formidable forces in the ancient Greek world, withstanding the Persian Empire to their last breath. You may recall learning about Sparta […]

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 […]

A blueprint for creativity, concentration and cultural exchange By Samantha Magick In the hills above Malaqereqere on the Coral Coast, a pocket-sized gallery is showing art unique to Fiji.  Much of the work on display is produced at Lancaster Press Fiji, a studio dedicated to making lithographic prints, and run by Peter Lancaster and Dinah Caroline. […]

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 […]

The Rise Beyond the Reef story By Ariela Zibiah Salanieta Utobota, and her husband can plan for their children to attend boarding schools and complete university education confidently, while sitting in their Bukuya home in the highlands of western Viti Levu. That they are able to plan for all four children’s education without having to […]

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. […]

Fiji Airways has launched its newest international route to New Caledonia’s capital, Noumea. “We are very excited about the prospects of this new route”, said Fiji Airways Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Andre Viljoen. The first flight to La Tontouta International Airport in Noumea will be on Thursday 30th November and starting 7th December, […]