“HUMBLE backgrounds actually build you up.”
These were the words of Vodafone Fiji Hibiscus King 2018 Manasa Navara who said he was proud to have been able to advocate on the struggles faced by single parents.
Mr Navara is a third-year student at the University of the South Pacific pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce and majoring in Land Development and Political Science.
The 21-year-old has maternal links to Nadala Village, Tavua, and was born and raised in Korovou Village, Tavua, in the province of Ba.
He shared how he entered the Hibiscus festival with no money, and said that all his attire was provided by his sponsors Trendy Fashion and his personal stylist Seci Burese.
Mr Navara acknowledged Mr Burese, his sponsors, his friends from the university and his family for providing him financial support throughout the week.
While speaking about his childhood struggles, Mr Navara shared how he always wondered what a birthday celebration felt like because he had never celebrated his birthday.
He said he was proud of the way his mum Salote Raica had raised him because as a single parent, she had always provided for all his needs and wants.
“Many people often see the Hibiscus festival as an avenue to come and have fun but more to it are the contestants who are speaking on issues affecting the people.
“I got inspired after seeing how confident these contestants became once they finished the Hibiscus journey and I thought to myself, if this can build a young person up, it can certainly mould me up to be a better speaker for the young generation.”
When asked about how he would describe his journey in this past week, Mr Navara said that they came in as strangers and they were going back as brothers.
He said before the crowning, they told each other that it was not about getting the crown because they had done their jobs by advocating on issues they passionately believed in.
Mr Navara said he entered Hibiscus festival in the hope that he would share the struggles of single parents because those people got overlooked in society.
He said his aim was to use this platform to advocate on issues directed towards the younger generations so they could understand there was always hope and a solution to everything.
