“For some, I think,
the rocking vessel venturing forth
felt the closest to a mother cradling,
though without her soothing voice.
For some, I think,
this voyage was never a choice
but a last resort to continue living,
though we quickly learned that death
might have been more forgiving.”
These opening lines from Syria, a poem by Tarek Wazni, rang out through the darkened rooms of the Fiji Museum this month. Wazni is one of ten poets featured in a new publication, Poetry and Prose at the Fiji Museum which was launched in Suva recently with readings in the Museum’s atmospheric rooms, and reflections on the importance of literature from its contributors and supporters.
A project of The Poetry Shop Fiji and funded by the New Zealand government, the book gathers written responses to objects in the museum. The items and authors are notable for their diversity, with the work taking inspiration from the many war clubs in the museum’s storerooms to jewellery worn by Girmit women, from the Ratu Finau sailing vessel which dominates the museum’s main gallery, to a roll of magimagi and traditional Chinese clothing.
Fiji Museum CEO, Andy Lowe says the collection brings “light and warmth and energy to the items. They’re often alone here in these spaces that are very colonial and it opens up a lot of possibilities and ways of engaging with them on many
To read more about this title, visit Fiji Traveller.
To get your copy, visit Baka Books or order online.
