People from Munia Island in Vanua Balavu, Lau, are preparing for one final fundraising effort next week as they work towards reclaiming ownership of their ancestral land.
Speaking to fijivillage News, Munia Koro Chairman Cakacaka Vesikula said each of the island’s four mataqali — Marama, Nakie, Narocake, and Saweilau — has been tasked with raising $15,000 each, totalling nearly $60,000 still needed to complete the repayment process.
Cakacaka says Munia Day will be held at the USP Hall next Saturday, where community members, supporters, and well-wishers are expected to come together in support of the cause.
Minister for Lands Filimoni Vosarogo has commended the community’s efforts, acknowledging that they are close to the final stage of the repayment.
Vosarogo says the return of the land titles to rightful owners has been an emotional experience throughout the country.
The island was originally sold in the mid-1800s to an American buyer for US$400, leading to the displacement of its original inhabitants, who later settled on nearby Avea Island.
In 1983, the Fijian Government purchased the island for about FJ$450,000 from its then freehold owner.
Six years later, in 1989, under the government’s Freehold Buy-Back Scheme, an agreement was made to resell the island to its traditional landowners.
The landowners were to repay the government over a 30-year period, initially through annual payments of around FJ$14,000, later reduced due to financial difficulties.
Today, the Munia community continues to fundraise to complete payments and fully reclaim ownership of their ancestral island.
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