THIS year’s Rotuma Day celebration is focused on promoting and reviving the Rotuma language and culture.
The Fiji Rotuman Association committee member Paserio Furivai said their week-long celebration which was organised at the Churchward Chapel in Flagstaff, Suva would be full of fun with various cultural activities, poetry reciting, dance, and traditional displays.
“Every 13th of May, we remember the day Rotuma was ceded to Great Britain,” Mr Furivai said.
“And so every year all Rotumans celebrate and remember that. Our main celebration will be held in the coming weekend on the 17th and 18th, but we started the weeklong celebration today (yesterday).
“We started with a prayer, children are taking part in storytelling, and the young people are chanting together with the elderly. We also have Rotuman traditional dance items.
“Every day of the week following today (yesterday), there will be an organised program and it will culminate with a celebration on Friday where there will be men’s root crop competition — yam and dalo and women’s handicraft competition.
“On Saturday, we’ll have some traditional dancing.”
Mr Furivai said the celebration was held everywhere in the world where Rotumans reside.
“We remember the hard work of our ancestors. We learn the skills that have been passed on to us through our farming, as well as weaving.
“We’ll also emphasise our language and culture to revive it.
“Rotumans are very small in number in the world; there are approximately 15,000 Rotumans and only about 5000 speak the Rotuman language.
“So, it is a dying language and we have to make an effort to preserve our language and culture.
“This is the main purpose of this celebration.”
