Josefa Sigavolavola 
[Photo: FIJI GOVERNMENT, FACEBOOK]
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji’s cultural and religious diversity must not become a source of division.
Rabuka has stressed the need to protect the unity that holds the country together.
He says Diwali reflects that shared identity, having become part of Fiji’s national story through generations of Indo-Fijians.
Speaking at the National Diwali Celebration at the Fiji Museum, Rabuka says the festival has been part of Fiji’s story since the arrival of Indian indentured laborers, who brought their faith, languages, customs and traditions.
Their experience, he said, was marked by hardship and injustice, but their courage and resilience allowed them to preserve their culture and pass on their religious traditions.
“Despite the hardship and injustice of the indenture, they demonstrated extraordinary courage and resilience; today they preserve their culture and religious traditions”
Rabuka adds that Diwali today represents more than a religious celebration, reflecting the history and cultural contributions of generations of Indo-Fijians.
Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Suneet Mehta says Diwali has become a celebration shared by Fijians of different cultural and religious backgrounds.
He says Fiji’s strength is in allowing people to maintain their individual identities while recognizing that they belong to one nation.
Mehta adds that the festival’s values of hope, compassion, understanding and respect are important in maintaining that unity.
