SUMMIT OF THE ACP STATES
Sheraton Hotel, Wednesday, 17th July, 2002, 3.30p.m.

Your Excellency Vice President Madame Ortiz Borch
Your Excellencies and Distinguished Leaders
Honoured Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Ni sa bula, Ni sa bula vinaka. A warm welcome and good health to each one of you.

You have just witnessed the ancient ceremonies and rituals, which are the highest expression of welcome in Fijian culture. They have been passed down to us through the centuries from the creators and keepers of our customs and traditions.

We cherish and revere them for what they are and what they mean.

You will have noticed the silence, the solemn silence … that is the Fijian way of respect, of marking a momentous occasion; the arrival of a chiefly delegation.

Each part of the every ritual, each movement and word, speaks to us of our identity and our heritage.

But for us today, it is the meaning that has the highest importance.

We say to you, through this demonstration of tradition, Welcome, Oh, honoured guests, welcome to these islands. We welcome you for all our people, and for our kinfolk from the rest of the Pacific.

We ask you to accept our friendship, our respect and hospitality after your journey from afar. Please take what we offer, for we are bound by our custom to give it to you. And if it comes from our custom, it comes from the heart.

We wish to care for you while you are here, and then see you safely on your way home.

We are not rich in money. But we have spiritual and cultural wealth from our beliefs and our customs, from the mana of the land and the sea, and everything there that has formed us as a people.

Archaeologists tell us that Fiji was first settled some three thousand years ago. Legend has it that these first Fijians came from somewhere in East Africa. They made landfall, so the story goes, at Vuda, not 20 kilometres from here. Vuda means “Our Ancestors” or “Our Beginning.”

In my traditional chiefly position, conferred on my by the people of Vuda, I carry the title, Tui Vuda.

In light of that history, legend and tradition, you will understand how truly honoured I am, personally, to be here to welcome you. You will also understand why we Fijians have a special interest in our friends from Africa.

As the story of Fiji unfolded, we also went through that process of change that many of you in the ACP experienced. Contact with the outside world started with the explorers, many of whom brought with them plants indigenous to the Caribbean and South America. Then the missionaries, traders and the adventurers came. On the 10th of October, 1874, the Fijian people, through their Chiefs, entered into a compact of mutual trust with Her Majesty Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Indians and others followed and made Fiji their home.

A new country came into being. It is as President of this multi racial and multi cultural country, that I extend this welcome to you.

We take great pride in our ethnic and cultural diversity. It has greatly enriched our society, and all our communities have contributed to our nation’s progress. At the same time, we are trying to weld together a united country. This is a huge challenge. It has not been easy, but we are committed to it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the people of Fiji, I say again, we rejoice to have you here. We are all proud to be your host. The honour we do to you goes beyond this gathering and the Island of Denarau. It goes to your people, in all their diversity, in so many, many nations. We think of them and we feel close to them.

The Tabua, the tooth of the sperm whale, is the most sacred object in our rituals. Its highest significance today is that through it we are pledging our loyalty, commitment and support to continuing solidarity among ACP nations.

May your meeting in Fiji serve to further strengthen the bonds of enduring friendship and partnership between our countries. May the decisions you make contribute to improving the daily lives of our peoples. For that after all, is the highest purpose of national stewardship.

I pray that Almighty God will bless your discussions and help you to make wise decisions.

Thank you.