Amelia Rokotuivuna | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Amelia Vakasokolaca Rokotuivuna 7 August 1941 |
| Died | 2 June 2005 (aged 63) |
| Occupation | General Secretary of Fiji’s YWCA |
| Known for | Activism for women’s and worker’ rights; opposition to Fijian coups; opposition to nuclear tests in the Pacific |
| Children | One son |
Amelia Rokotuivuna was a Fijian socialist and feminist community leader and activist, who was known for her opposition to French nuclear tests in the Pacific and to the Fijian military coups in 1987 and 2000. [1]
Amelia Vakasokolaca Rokotuivuna was born on 7 August 1941 in the village of Vatukarasa in Tailevu Province on Fiji's largest island of Viti Levu. Her childhood was spent at the Vatukoula mine, also on Viti Levu, where her father was a cook. Her intelligence enabled her to go as a boarder to Adi Cakobau School, Fiji's leading school for girls, where she became head girl. Rokotuivuna was the first staff member of the Fiji YWCA, which had been established by two Australians, Ruth Lechte and Anne S. Walker, in 1962. She worked as a receptionist and coordinator of the YWCA's Girls Clubs. In 1967, she obtained a diploma in social administration and development from the University of Swansea in Wales. [1] [2] [3]
With Fiji's Independence from the United Kingdom scheduled for 1970, there was widespread debate over the issue of political representation in the country's new parliament, and the number of seats reserved for each of Fiji's ethnic communities, Rokotuivuna and other YWCA members took part in a 1965 forum to hear women's views on the future constitution and electoral system. She used this opportunity to challenge the existing communal system of electoral representation, strongly criticising the colonial practice of reserving Legislative Council positions for members of the Great Council of Chiefs and arguing that the Council should be disbanded. The Council was finally disestablished in 2012, after her death, but at the time her ideas provoked considerable opposition, with indigenous Fijians arguing that she was putting forward an "Indian agenda". [4]
In 1973, Rokotuivuna became general secretary of the YWCA. Under her leadership, the organization became an activist organization that worked for peace and democracy, in a country where there were often significant conflicts between the indigenous Melanesian population and the descendants of indentured Indian labourers who were sent to Fiji to work on sugar plantations. Although many Fijians opposed the YWCA's involvement in such activities, she led the fight for equal rights for women, a nuclear-free Pacific, and political reform in Fiji's multicultural society, and became the key spokesperson for all NGOs. Early members of the YMCA found that, unlike the well-established women's organizations whose leadership structures generally reflected age or social status hierarchies, the YWCA encouraged young, educated, community-minded local women with an interest in social and political change. Lacking the necessary social status, Rokotuivuna could never have risen to the top of other women's organizations in the country. She worked hard to establish strong links with university students. In 1974, the YWCA controversially presented a submission to government calling for increased activity in the area of family planning, and the legalisation of abortion, drawing attention to the number of deaths occurring due to back-street abortions. In addition to advocacy, the YMCA organized vocational training, attracting up to 500 students per year. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Although the YWCA attracted donations from the private sector, Rokotuivuna did not compromise her socialist beliefs when promoting workers' rights, advocating for the formation of trade unions. She was also keen to upgrade the position of household workers, supporting their efforts to create a union. [3]
From 1992 to 1995, Rokotuivuna worked as Programme Secretary for Advocacy for the World YWCA headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. At the time of her death, she was President of the Fiji YWCA Board of Directors and a lecturer at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. [1] [2]
Protests against French nuclear tests in the region, which Rokotuivuna played a leading role in organizing, became almost daily events. These were particularly organized outside the office of the French airline UTA, which serviced French territories and colonies. She was one of the founders of ATOM (Against Testing on Moruroa), FANG (Fiji Anti-Nuclear Group), and NFIP (Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific), which arose out of a regional conference called by ATOM and later became PCRC (Pacific Concerns Resource Centre). She was very much involved with that Conference, which was held in Suva in April, 1975. International awareness of her opposition to French testing led to an invitation to participate in an NGO meeting held in parallel with the first United Nations World Conference on Women, held in Mexico City in 1975, where she spoke out against nuclear testing in the Pacific by the French, American and British nuclear powers. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In 1980, Rokotuivuna co-organised a protest against the Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet, when his plane landed in Fiji for refuelling, throwing tomatoes at the plane and persuading the airport ground staff to refuse to refuel the plane, resulting in the Fijian military having to do the job. During the two Fijian coups in 1987, which were aimed at ensuring that the indigenous Fijians would not lose power to the Indo-Fijians, Rokotuivuna paid a personal price by defying many fellow Fijians to argue for a multicultural and tolerant vision of Fiji. She was briefly imprisoned for her ideas. Rokotuivuna has said that the major challenge for Fiji people was to understand human rights. She led a youth protest march after the first of the two coups. Later, she worked with the Citizens' Constitutional Forum in the 1990s to secure popular agreement on a new democratic constitution. [3]
Amelia Rokotuivuna died of cancer on 2 June 2005. She had one son. [1]
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,100 nautical miles north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 square kilometres (7,100 sq mi). The most outlying island group is Ono-i-Lau. About 87% of the total population live on the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts, either in the capital city of Suva, or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi or Lautoka. The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited because of its terrain.
Suva is the capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Division.
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Viti Levu is the largest island in Fiji. It is the site of the country's capital and largest city, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.
Sir Vijay Raghubar Singh, KBE was an Indo-Fijian lawyer and politician who held Cabinet office in the 1960s and 1970s. Vijay Singh served in Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara's government in a variety of positions, including Attorney-General, and was president of the Indian Alliance, a division of the ruling Alliance Party. He quit the party in 1979 following disagreement with Alliance leadership and later joined the opposition National Federation Party. Vijay Singh was involved in the restructure of the Fiji sugar industry and was a leading member of the Jaycees movement in Fiji.
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Severe Tropical Cyclone Eric was one of two tropical cyclones to affect the island nations of Vanuatu and Fiji within a week during January 1985. The precursor shallow depression developed within the monsoon trough during 13 January, to the west of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. On 16 January, the storm developed-hurricane-force winds and Eric began to undergo rapid deepening. While two different agencies differ on when and how strong Eric was at its peak, it was believed to have peaked on 17 January while passing through the Fiji island group. Shortly after its peak, Eric began to weaken steadily, and by 20 January, Severe Tropical Cyclone Eric had ceased to exist as a tropical cyclone. Combined with another storm – Cyclone Nigel – Eric caused 25 fatalities and $40 million worth of damage. A total of 299 farms were affected as well as the airport in Nadi. About 30,000 people were left homeless. Severe crop damage was also reported. Viti Levu sustained the worst effects from Cyclone Eric. During the aftermath of the storm, a number of first world countries distributed aid for victims of Eric.
RatuOsea Gavidi was a Fijian politician and indigenous chief. He was prominently involved in defending the interests of the indigenous people in the western part of Fiji, seeking to establish their political autonomy, then their independence.
Mereia Taufa Vakatale, O.F. was a Fijian politician and educator. She served in the Cabinet of Fiji under the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT) during 1993–1995 and 1997–1999. In 1997, she became Fiji's first female Deputy Prime Minister.
The majority of Fiji's islands were formed through volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago. Today, some geothermic activity still occurs on the islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni. Fiji was settled first by the Lapita culture, around 1,500–1,000 years BC, followed by a large influx of people with predominantly Melanesian genetics about the time of the beginning of the Common Era. Europeans visited Fiji from the 17th century, and, after a brief period as an independent kingdom, the British established the Colony of Fiji in 1874. Fiji was a Crown colony until 1970, when it gained independence as the Dominion of Fiji. A republic was declared in 1987, following a series of coups d'état.
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