Adi Tulia Nacola on Fiji's coups and her connection to home

We had heard about the 1987 coup, but we were not taught what it was or even what a coup was in school.

This has been highlighted by Adi Tulia Nacola, an author, filmmaker, and daughter of former Minister Ratu Jo Nacola, who served during the late Doctor Bavadra's government, while speaking on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan.

She shared her experiences of the coup and one key point she raised was that, as children, their understanding came solely from conversations among adults.

Adi Tulia says since they were not directly exposed to what a coup was, they were shocked when the George Speight coup occurred in 2000.

She says during the 1987 coup,the warrior clan from her village in Ra guarded their home in Flagstaff and they felt safe knowing that their family were there to protect them.

Adi Tulia recalled that she was a student at St. Joseph's Secondary School when the 2000 coup took place and she described how the military entered her classroom, grabbed one of the students and took her out, leaving her classmates in shock.

She also highlighted that after the incident in the classroom, students were instructed to go home and stay out of the city, however, she and others decided to go down to the city, where they witnessed the chaos firsthand.

She says her experience was terrifying, seeing people seemingly taken over by something beyond themselves, the burning and looting of Suva City made it difficult to even recognise people as human beings.

The filmmaker also highlighted her fear over the lack of protection for anyone during that time.

She adds despite these traumatic experiences, she says her deep love for her culture, traditions and the strong bond with her village and home has kept her rooted in Fiji.