FIJIAN town festivals have been playing an instrumental role in township and national development, says Minister Local Government, Infrastructure and Transport Parveen Kumar.
While opening the 2018 Digicel Nadi Bula Festival at Prince Charles Park over the weekend, Mr Kumar said festivals had provided a platform for community involvement in charity work.
“From the viewpoint of township development, the festivals have allowed an opportunity to identify and work towards community projects and programs,” he said. “It provides a sense of collective pride in your town and city.
“Festivals also provide for a stronger community. Township festivals across Fiji of this magnitude have become a good vehicle for promoting a town’s identity.” He commended the Nadi Bula Festival Trust for working with the Nadi Town Council to continue to drive common objectives.
“Bula like other festivals needs strong sustainable programs to promote these areas to ensure that we can successfully drive and implement a conducive, attractive and liveable environment.”
He added that it was important that administrators of all urban centres such as Nadi should work towards ensuring that their communities were sustained and environment friendly.
“Nadi as municipal centre is promoting itself as Fiji’s liveable green town. The council on its own cannot live up to that tag.
“We need to have to make their towns, villages, roads, rivers and seas liveable and green.”