B.M. Allsopp's Blog, page 4

Two October Celebrations: Fiji Day and Diwali

My October post presented me with a quandary - should I look back to Fiji Day on 10th October or forward to Diwali on 25th October? Although these dates are for the official one-day public holidays, both celebrations actually extend over a week. People have just a short break for recovery between the two festivals.

Fiji Day

When Fiji celebrated 50 years as a nation two years ago, I wrote here about the two events this holiday commemorates, so I'll keep this story short.

On 10th October 1874, Fiji...

Queen Elizabeth and Fiji

Despite her 96 years, Her Majesty's death came as a shock. A very sad one. Since then I've followed television coverage of the ceremonies proclaiming King Charles III and preparations for the Queen's funeral. As I watched the flag-draped coffin arrive in Edinburgh, I recognised a Fijian among the pallbearers.

Private Peni Tubuna, Royal Regiment of Scotland

I found out he was Private Peni Tubuna, Royal Company of Archers, the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Peni was offered a place in the British Arm...

Fiji's new 88-cent banknote

,88 cents: whoever would have thought?

Last week, on the eighth day of the eighth month, the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) issued a strange addition to the legal tender of these glorious islands. Strange because an eighty-eight cent bank note may seem unlikely to be one of the FRB's top economic priorities. But all the 8s and an examination of the note itself gives a clue.

Eight is believed to be lucky in Chinese culture, bringing wealth and fortune. The note features an image of the Chinese god o...

Cannibal Coiffure

Here are a couple of travellers' reviews from the early 1800s:

"...if in anything the natives have a claim to originality and versatility of genius, it is in hairdressing"

"Their heads surpass imagination."

Whose hairdos sparked such wonder in foreign visitors in the early 19th century? Perhaps those of courtiers of London or Vienna in their powdered elaborate wigs?

No, it was the heads of the war-like cannibals of the beautiful Fiji islands that wowed educated missionaries and tough bech...

Fiji & the Russian superyacht: update

,Amadea, - recap to 9th May

If you didn't catch my May blog, tap here: Fiji and Ukraine - what's the link? And if you haven't got time right now, this first section is a quick but oversimplified recap.

In April the 106-metre Amadea sailed into Lautoka, Fiji at the end of an 18-day voyage from Mexico. The vessel docked despite having no customs clearance. Amadea's registered owner is Millemarin Investment, a Cayman Islands company, but Russian energy oligarch Sulieman Kerimov is believed to be...

Fiji and Ukraine: what's the link?

Answer: Amadea - super-yacht

A few weeks ago, the 106-metre Amadea sailed into Lautoka, Fiji at the end of an 18-day voyage from Mexico. The vessel docked despite having no customs clearance. If you've read Death Beyond the Limit: Fiji Islands Mysteries 3, you'll know that Fiji's port authorities would have boarded the yacht and no one would have been permitted to leave until the necessary clearances were granted. But of course, Amadea had been expected.

While Fiji and the US are friendly, Fij...

Shot in Fiji

I had fun in an earlier post tracking down all the remakes of the movie Blue Lagoon, first shot on location in Fiji with teenager Jean Simmons. Recently I heard that Series 41 (!) of the game show Survivor is resuming filming in Fiji following post-Covid opening of the country to overseas visitors. Just how many movies, television shows and film shoots of all kinds happen in Fiji?

Feature films

Sources differ but there are more than 30 full-length movies that used Fiji locations, including quit...

A tail of two cats: Tigger and Trim

I lost my cat Tigger last week. When I say lost, I mean he died. The vet diagnosed a head tumour and recommended she put him to sleep as he was suffering. He died lying in our laps as we stroked him and told him what a wonderful friend he was. He was 13 and we expected to enjoy his companionship for several more years. Tigger was tabby with sharp markings and lynx-like black tufts on the tips of his ears. He was a most affectionate and sociable puss who loved human company, playing the host to ...

After the eruption: Tonga recovers

On 15th January I had just hit the 'Publish" button on my monthly post when I checked on the news. While I'd been working on my post, the undersea Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano in Tonga erupted with tremendous force, shooting ash 30 kilometres into the stratosphere. People in Fiji heard the explosion 800 kilometres (500 miles) away. Volcanic ash smothered the land, sea and water sources.

Damage from the fallout and the subsequent tsunami flooding devastated the capital Nuku'alofa and man...

Fiji's music: the beat goes on

From time to time, I've posted video clips of Fijian music performances often by choirs. Does this music have anything in common with indigenous folk music? My whirlwind tour of Fiji's music scene includes a lot of YouTube links, so to save bytes, I haven't included the video frames.

Pre-colonial traditions

In his wonderful Fiji and the Fijians, based on his observations from 1840 to 1853, Rev. Thomas Williams noted the people's love of music. He listed the musical instruments Fijians played: the...