For 70 years, the Hibiscus Festival has brought together families, communities, businesses, young people and visitors from across Suva and beyond, creating memories that have become part of Fiji’s collective story.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism Viliame Gavoka highlighted this while officially opening the 70th Anniversary of the FMF Hibiscus Festival at Albert Park this evening.
Gavoka says the festival’s endurance reflects the generations of people who have supported it, participated in it and continued to give it meaning.
He says as Fiji celebrates the historic milestone, it is especially significant to acknowledge Liebling Marlow, Lydia Manueli and other pioneering contestants from 1956 who are joining this year’s celebrations.
Gavoka says their presence is a reminder that history is not simply something people read about or look back on, but lives through those who were there and helped shape the festival’s early years.
He says the Hibiscus Festival does not belong to a sponsor, committee or government, but to the people of Suva and Fiji.
The Deputy Prime Minister says after 70 years, every bloom of the festival is “Ours to Celebrate.”
He says Albert Park is also where Fiji’s national flag was first raised in 1970, and there is no finer place for the festival to return to as it marks its 70th anniversary.
Gavoka says while some people may see the Miss Hibiscus pageant as simply a crown and sash, the contestants represent their communities and causes larger than themselves.
He says through the Miss Charity competition, contestants raise funds and awareness for Fijians who need support.
The Deputy Prime Minister says the contestants stand up, speak and lead, while the winner serves as an ambassador for the country for a year.
He says the true measure of a Hibiscus Queen has never been her appearance, but the character behind it, the courage to stand on stage, the service she gives and the example she sets for young girls across Fiji.
Gavoka says this is beauty with substance.
