May 10, 2007

Let our voices ring with pride...

From Cassandra's Desk

If there is one word that my friends might use to describe your correspondent, it most definitely could never be "stoic". At least not after last night when, thanks to a lethal mixture of single malt Scotch and Intelligentsiya, I found myself sitting in front of my computer blubbering like a baby.

This is what happened : The Cassandra household was already abed, except for yours truly. Being a creature of habit, I had helped himself to a generous nip of one of Scotland's finest and had logged on to the Internet for my regular nocturnal ramble through cyberspace.

First port of call was this very freedom blogsite. As I loaded it up, I was suddenly confronted with a rather ugly head shot of our Great Military Dictator with a YouTube button implanted hard against his left nostril. So I pressed it (the button I mean).

Dear readers, within a few seconds I was transported to the point that, my customary verbosity notwithstanding, I cannot - on this morning after - accurately report my feelings of barely 12 hours ago as I sat there spellbound by a superb video take on Fiji's children post-coup.

I suppose "mixed emotions" would serve best. Indeed, my reactions to Ana Nakadavu's masterful work ranged from a quickening heartbeat (that version of our national anthem has been doing that to me for more than 30 years) to the aforementioned tears.

What made me weep? I honestly don't know. I think it was a film-maker's skillful emotion juxtaposition of simple images and simple words that evoked such complex emotions, and also questions.

Questions such as: what will become of children in Fiji, growing up in a coup culture that implicitly sanctions animal-like violence by adult human beings ? What will become of our children as the economic meltdown starts to bite ? What will become of them if, in their innocence and naïveté , they should perceive Bainimarama as some sort of role model ?

Today, in a much colder light, I have revisited the video, not once, but several times. No tears this morning, but each time, to the obvious annoyance of anyone in earshot, I found myself croaking along:

"For Fiji! Ever Fiji! Let our voices ring with pride..."

Somehow, in these dark days, that wonderful anthem, based as it is on an old traditional Fijian song, sounds more meaningful and more relevant every time I hear it.

And a good cry sometimes does wonders for the soul. Thanks Intelligentsiya. And, from the bottom of my heart, thank you Ana.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a lot of gushing guff Cassandra....you must have led a really sheltered existence so far...get out into the real world.

Anonymous said...

When I saw the video a few days ago, I also cried.

I cried for the children and I cried for Fiji.

It is heart breaking to sit here in Australia and watch a beautiful place like Fiji go downhill so fast because a bunch of idiots have got hold of some guns.

I desperately wish to come back for a holiday with my family BUT not while the green thugs are out of control. These fools are the biggest criminals in Fiji today.

Perhaps Australia or USA should send troops in and disarm these idiots. The whole of Fiji would be back to normal in a few days. It would only take a dozen or so SAS soldiers to "clean up" the mess that you are in.

Anonymous said...

sniff sniff....
sob sob....

Pro-military, where are you?
Come back come back wherever you are!!

Anonymous said...

How long does it take to have a comment posted - after you've edited it? I asked where cassandra is andrea birch because they sound awefully alike, yet you didnt post it.....did I hit the nail on the head?

Anonymous said...

I think They only posted comments that is favorable to their taste,

So much for freedom of expressions, may be Frank is not bad after all.

(lol)

I posted a some comments in here too but it didn't see the light of the day.

I smell Liumuri in here (aghe piche)