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.