FOR Veniana Leba Vulaono Akafa, music is more than melody, it is memory, ministry and a sacred inheritance.
Each note she sings carries the imprint of her late father, Reverend Jitoko Vulaono Akafa, whose spiritual and musical legacy continues to echo through generations.
What began as a father’s prayer has become a lifelong calling.
Today, Veniana stands as one of the last torchbearers of the Akafa Gospel sound, alongside brother Tevita Akafa.
The group, once a family ensemble, has endured loss, with the passing of Paula Temo Akafa last year and Junior Jitoko Akafa in 2021 yet its message remains unshaken.
At her local church, Veniana leads worship during the 8am English service, but her journey into music began long before the stage, at just 12 years old, when a single hymn revealed what she now believes was her divine purpose.
“There’s an English song that we always sing, ‘Jesus knows how it feels to be lonely’,” she recalls.
“That’s the first song I sang and then I knew I had that talent.”
For her father, that moment was nothing short of confirmation.
Having long prayed for his children to be gifted in music, he saw in her voice the answer he had been waiting for.
“It reminded him again of his prayers … and that made him know that, okay, we have to do a recording.”
Songs that heal
Among the many songs produced under the Akafa Gospel name, one remains especially close to her heart Dau veibuli, a deeply reflective piece rooted in biblical imagery.
“It’s like God created us like a potter.
“And when we are broken, God heals us.”
For Veniana, gospel music is not about performance or popularity. It is about purpose.
In an era where gospel increasingly blends with modern sounds, she remains anchored in a simple but powerful belief: the stage is an altar.
“When I perform, I make myself feel like I’m singing to God, not to people.
“And when I sing to God, it touches lives.”
Her measure of success is not applause, but transformation.
“If one person gives their life to the Lord, that’s enough for me.”
The discipline behind the devotion
Behind the scenes, Veniana’s role extends far beyond leading songs.
She mentors her worship team, coordinates rehearsals and carefully curates setlists. But she insists that the most important preparation happens away from the spotlight.
Spiritual discipline fasting, prayer and daily devotion forms the backbone of her ministry.
“I fast and I pray to the Lord. You must pray and read the Bible every day. It is our duty. This ensures the music is anointed before it reaches the congregation.”
It is a practice inherited directly from her father, whose own process of songwriting was deeply spiritual. At Nacilau Point in Rakiraki, he would spend days fasting, praying and composing often with his accordion in hand crafting songs he believed could spark revival.
A ministry that reached beyond barriers
The Akafa Gospel journey has not been without its defining moments. One of the most significant came during a mission to Nabua, Vanua Levu in the 1990s, a place where preaching was restricted and spiritual resistance was strong.
“They didn’t allow us to preach, only to sing,” the late Reverend Akafa once shared.
But music opened doors where words could not.
“They had heard us on AM and FM radio … and it led to a huge revival. A lot of people were saved.”
That transformative power was rooted in his own life story a former soldier and nightclub performer whose path changed when he gave his life to faith. From that turning point, music became his ministry.
Faith through every season
Even in times of global uncertainty, the Akafa family’s commitment to worship never wavered.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when churches fell silent, their home became their sanctuary.
They sang together not for an audience, but as an act of faith.
That same spirit lives on in songs like Na cakacaka rui dredre, an award winning track that speaks to the exhaustion of a weary world and the urgent need for spiritual renewal.
“That song talks about how the labour is hard and the workers are tired.
“We’re asking the Lord to wait, to give people time to come and give their lives to Him.”
Looking ahead
While deeply rooted in tradition, Veniana is not closed to new possibilities. She hopes to one day collaborate with local gospel group Eagles Wings, blending voices while staying true to the message that defines her journey.
For now, she continues to carry the legacy forward one song, one service, one soul at a time.
Because for Veniana Akafa, gospel music is not just something she sings.
It is something she lives.
