Planting Peace in the Heart of Suva: The PPSEAWA FIJI Peace Garden Project

Compiled by Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Coordinator/Producer-Director femLINKpacific: Media Initiatives for Women

May 19, 2000, the riots and destruction in Suva were a vivid portrayal of the social, political and economic destruction that was taking over our country. Peace initiatives, such as the Blue Ribbon Peace Vigil facilitated by the National Council of Women, the Women’s Action for Democracy and Peace (WAD’aP) and other responses took shape over the coming weeks, throughout the hostage crisis. But the peace work did not stop after the release of the hostages. In Suva, the Peace Vigil collective has continued to stage regular peace vigils at the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral, while a dedicated group of women, members of the Fiji Chapter of the Pan Pacific South East Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA Fiji) decided to create a Peace Garden in the heart of the capital city.

The Peace Garden Concept evolved after several members of PPSEAWA Fiji, including Mavis Basawaiya, attended the PPSEAWA International Conference in Rarotonga in November 2000, where delegates from twenty once countries in Asia and the Pacific deliberated on the conference theme “Ignite the Power of Peace” and also witnessed the opening of the Cook Islands “Peace Garden”.

This was PPSEAWA’s global response to the United Nations General Assembly proclamation that the first decade of the 21st century and the third millennium, the years 2001 to 2010, as the International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World. This followed resolutions about the International Day of Peace and the International Year of Peace. On 29 November 2000, the United Nations General Assembly entrusted UNESCO with the coordination "of the activities of the organizations of the United Nations system to promote a culture of peace, as well as liaison with other organizations concerned in this matter."

The action plan for the Decade proposes eight spheres of activities in which to work for the promotion of the Culture of Peace:

* to reinforce a culture of peace through education
* to promote economically and socially sustainable development
* to promote the respect of all human rights
* to ensure the equality between women and men
* to support democratic participation
* to develop comprehension, tolerance and solidarity
* to support participative communication and the freedom of movement of information and knowledge
* to promote international peace and safety

In Suva, the activities towards the establishment of a Peace Garden began with small meetings and discussions and in 2002, one year after the tragedy of September 11, PPSEAWA Fiji held a ten day peace celebration culminating on the International Day of Peace (September 21):

“PPSEAWA Fiji saw that the challenge to establish a Peace Garden in Fiji couldn’t have come at a better time. As the country looked for avenues for the attainment of Peace and Reconciliation, we felt that a Peace Garden would be the most appropriate symbol of peace in the heart of Suva. It can be a haven or sanctuary for those stressed out in work places, those needing a place for private meditation and those needing a place for just quiet time. PPSEAWA also plans to make the garden a centre for cultural education where programmed cultural storytelling and reading will be organized. The Peace Garden will be an added asset to the city, as it will be an attraction to the many tourists from abroad and from around the country,” says Ravesi Johnston, the Peace Garden Project Coordinator.

Eight women’s NGOs ACS Old Girls (1950s), Wesley Women’s Fellowship, Rotuman Women’s Association, The Brahma Kumaris, DORCAS Women’s Ministry of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Cakaudrove Women’s Association, Soqosoqo Vakamarama and Catholic Women’s League are Peace Garden partners with PPSEAWA Fiji and together they will collectively ensure the sustainability of the Peace Garden by organizing planting and replanting of flowers; overseeing the general maintenance of the gardens and fundraising for the upkeep of the garden.

Assistance from the Suva City Council, financial contributions from the Australian High Commission and (the now disbanded) Ministry of Reconciliation as well as other fundraising efforts has helped PPSEAWA Fiji realize their dream of designing and building a peaceful Pacific Peace Garden.

Now, five years on, and tragically as we are surrounded by more political unrest and uncertainties whether it is close to home such as the riots in Tonga and Honiara last year, the effects and impact of ongoing ‘war on terror’ or within our own domestic scene the military takeover of December 5, 2006, the Suva Peace Garden is being prepared for its formal opening.

The official opening will take place at 11am on the International Day of Peace (Friday 21 September) and the Chief Guest will be Former PPSEAWA International Peace Ambassador, Eleitino Paddy Walker who was one of the Pacific nominees of the 1000peacewomen for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

Yes, this women’s peace initiative has nurtured and grown despite the political instabilities and challenges Fiji has continued to face since May 2000.

Maybe it is even more poignant that the garden will be opened after yet another political crisis, as it serves as another symbol of the collective contribution by women of Fiji towards realizing a common vision for a culture of peace to be shared across our communities.

To me, having followed the development and growth of the Suva Peace Garden project from the outset, it serves as a vivid reminder of the work that needs to be done if we are to rebuild, transform and sustain peace in our own communities, in our country. Yes, building a culture of peace in Fiji is just like the work of creating the peace garden.

It starts with a common vision just as good soil provides the basic foundation for a healthy garden we also need to have the right foundation to support our quest for sustainable peace and these include upholding the principles of human rights and the 1997 constitution, a return to parliamentary democracy, respect for the rule of law.

It also requires seeds of faith, realizing within ourselves that we can make a positive difference. Equipping ourselves with the right tools, ensuring that we all are ready for the long task ahead, whether it is through community based education or communication initiatives, preparing ourselves individually and collectively to share our opinions, even though we may have different ideas, as part of the quest of building peace, because we do not want our garden to be dull and boring, but a vibrant representation of our diversities.

A garden needs to be nurtured, to be sustained, so tending the garden is just as important, and to ensure that the garden will blossom and grow, just as we need to feel safe, to feel assured, to understand and trust the process ahead. So our peace efforts are not just about ourselves, but for our children, the future of Fiji, so that they will be able to enjoy the garden and respect the fragility of peace, to nurture and cherish it even more.


For more information and additional interviews please contact:
Ravesi Johnston at: 679 3370861

PPSEAWA Fiji and femLINKPACIFIC are affiliates of the National Council of Women Fiji