145th Girmit Commemoration to be celebrated in Lautoka and Labasa

The 145th Girmit Commemoration will be celebrated at the Lautoka Girmit Multicultural Centre from 11 to 13 May and in Labasa on 11 May 2024.

This has been approved by Cabinet which will commemorate 145 years since the arrival of the Girmit indentured labourers to Fiji.

The People’s Coalition Government designated ‘Girmit Day’ as a public holiday in 2023 to honour Girmit indentured labourers from India who were brought to Fiji in 1879, soon after the cession in 1874.

This year’s Girmit Day theme will be the “Journey of Girmit Descendants in Building a New Fiji”.

Cabinet says the theme is also aligned with the objectives of the Coalition Government in terms of promoting social cohesion and celebrating the contribution of various ethnic communities in the development and progress of Fiji and its people together.

They say a subcommittee will organise and oversee the programme of the Girmit Day commemoration, organise all official activities and events to mark the intent and purpose of the Girmit Day Celebrations and ensure that the Girmit Day events are hosted and organised within the approved budget.