Fiji’s shared history and deeply intertwined cultures should be recognised as a way of strengthening relationships between communities, rather than allowing fear and insecurity to continue shaping the country’s future.
Minister for Women Sashi Kiran made these comments during the UNDP Youth Peace Forum workshop at the Civic Centre this morning.
Kiran says Fiji’s history shows that communities have long depended on one another, despite divisions that were reinforced during the colonial period.
She says colonial rulers created systems that kept communities separate and fostered fear between different ethnic groups.
Kiran says some of those anxieties continue to be passed down to children, often through warnings about people from other ethnic communities.
She says the impact of ethnic and political divisions was particularly evident following the 2000 civil unrest, when many Indo-Fijian farming families faced evictions.
Kiran says the crisis was fuelled by political tensions at the national level, while ordinary people in rural communities had a different understanding of their relationships with one another.
She says many Indian farmers she spoke to during her work with communities viewed iTaukei landowners as their “Raja”, or kings, and respected their relationship with the landowners.
Kiran says such relationships at the grassroots level are often absent from the national discourse.
She says Fiji’s cultures have also become deeply intertwined through traditions, food and practices shared between communities.
Kiran says examples of this cultural exchange can be seen in ceremonies and food, with Indian and iTaukei traditions influencing one another over generations.
She says the experiences of Fiji’s indentured labourers also demonstrate the importance of solidarity and resilience.
Kiran says her forefathers arrived in Fiji largely as single individuals, without relatives, and formed deep bonds with fellow passengers and workers as they endured difficult conditions on plantations.
She says many of them chose not to pass their trauma on to their children, instead focusing on education and creating better opportunities for future generations.
Kiran says understanding this shared history is important in building peace and stronger relationships among Fiji’s communities.
