The Ministry of Education dedicated yesterday as the National Culture Day with a thought provoking theme “Celebrating Fiji’s cultural diversity”.
The National Culture Day aimed at enlightening our children on the importance of cultural diversity.
The citizens of Fiji are blessed to be living in a multicultural country and we should capitalise on the opportunity of learning each other’s language, cultural beliefs, traditions, practices and customs, bearing in mind that cultural diversity enhances peace and harmony. Indeed this will help to instil cultural values in our students and strengthen our focus on a peaceful Fiji.
After the events of the 1987 and 2000 coups, race relations had worsened but the victory in Rio united every Fijian. The world saw what we were capable of achieving when we were united. Without unity, the hope and aspirations of taking our beloved Fiji forward would perish.
Teaching the different cultural contexts around us to the future leaders of Fiji will not only help to create an identity but also work on bridging gaps between the various ethnic groups by binding people in a bond of unity and love. It is important to teach our young the importance of showing respect to elders, parents and teachers.
I feel that the celebration of cultural events aid in learning, appreciating and accommodating others cultures, considering the fact that there is a diverse ethnic composition of most of our schools.
The end result should be seeing all the racial groups living in harmony and uniting towards a secure and prosperous Fiji. I hope that our children would have made a sincere effort to learn about the significance of the hawan yagna, meke, traditional songs and chants and the traditional welcoming ceremony to name a few.
This is the way forward to maintaining peace and harmony among our multiracial groups.