01/07/2026
Day 1 in Fiji’s Old Capital: Groundwork, Protocol, and Empowering the Next Generation
Before the historic Levuka Town Hall doors even open tonight at 7:00 PM, the groundwork for a transparent, community-led dialogue had to be laid. For our media contingent, that meant grounding our arrival in tradition, protocol, and civic duty.
Our journey began by honouring the enduring structures that hold this town together. We presented our sevusevu to the Turaga na Tui Levuka, seeking his blessings for our stay.
Following this, we visited the Provincial Administrator’s office, aligning our coverage plans with local leadership to ensure that the voices of the four tikina and 24 rural villages are properly centred in the upcoming discourse.
Believing firmly that the future of the yasana of Lomaiviti lies in its youth, our team of journalists split into two groups to conduct crucial media literacy sessions with the students of St. John’s College and Levuka Public School.
The young women of Cawaci didn’t hold back with their questions. They probed into the lived realities of our profession, asking about the biggest challenges journalists face on the ground, how we handle public criticism and online backlash, and the exact kind of grit and heart it takes to step into the media industry today.
The young men dove into the mechanics of modern communication. We mapped out the stark differences between mainstream journalism, anchored by ethics, verification, and accountability, and the unfiltered, often misleading world of social media. They got a behind-the-scenes look at how journalists verify facts before a single word is published or broadcast.
It has been a wholesome, fulfilling first day of service on the island. But the true test begins tonight.
At 7:00 PM, the iconic Levuka Town Hall will open its doors. With the global fuel crisis affecting local transport, infrastructure challenges keeping low-lying coastal roads underwater at high tide, and the looming economic anxiety surrounding PAFCO’s management transition, the residents of Ovalau have profound, pressing questions.
Tonight, senior government ministers will sit face-to-face with the community.
Our job is to make sure those questions are asked, those answers are recorded, and the stubbornly resilient people of this historic town are heard.
Stay tuned as we bring you live updates from the town hall tonight from all our media houses present: FBC News, Fiji One News, Mai TV, Fiji Sun, The Fiji Times, fijivillage and FijiLive. This Town Hall is supported by BBC Media Action
