Weaving Fijian language into Aotearoa society

  • Date: Friday, 13 October, 2017
  • Time:

    12.10pm to 1pm

  • Cost:

    Free

  • Location:

    Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets

  • Contact Details:

    For more information, email ATLOutreach@dia.govt.nz

Celebrate Fijian Language Week 2017

Fijian Language Week runs from 3-9 October, with the theme Noqu Vosa Me’u Bula Taka (My Language, Learn it, Speak it, Live it).

Adi Elisapeci Samanunu Waqanivala, a Fijian Language Interpreter and Oral Historian Researcher will facilitate a panel of speakers, each bringing their rich knowledge and experiences of language.

Is the Fijian language becoming endangered? Will it disappear? In the 2013 Stats NZ Census, Fijian language speakers dropped by 43%. In 2016-2017 an oral history research project affirmed that Indigenous Fijians in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara under the age of 35 struggle to hold a 3 hour interview in Fijian. What does this mean?

This forum hopes to create awareness, offer some answers and explore solutions through the sharing of experiences from the panelists.

Adi Elisapeci Samanunu Waqanivala.Adi Elisapeci Samanunu Waqanivala with Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy. Photo by Eva Kaprinay, Governor General House.