The authors with the Chief Guest, Dr Manpreet Kaur (third from left), following the launch of the book – Where the Sugarcane Grows.

Academics from the Western Division successfully launched a landmark Anthology – Where the Sugarcane Grows last week offering a powerful showcase of storytelling from Fiji’s Western Viti Levu.

The School of Communication, Language and Literature attached to the Fiji National University’s College of Humanities, Education and Law worked in collaboration with Kulawai Press to launch the book.

From the heartwarming struggles of a father’s sacrifice in Sandhya – The Twilight to the rebellious fire of a village girl in Bloody Julie, these stories traverse love, loss, tradition, and defiance. With vivid prose and emotional depth, the anthology captures the essence of a culture shaped by migration, memory, and the unbreakable ties to the land.

Five of the authors are academics with the FNU while the remaining academic is from the University of Fiji.

They are – FNU’s Head of Department, Language and Literature, Sera Lockington and lecturers, Khemendra Kumar, Bimlesh Kumar and Sailesh Narayan, Student Success Specialist, Avitesh Kumar, as well as academic, Dr Manpreet Kaur of the University of Fiji.

Dr Kaur who officiated at the launch highlighted that the simple act of storytelling comes as a source of inspiration.

“Undoubtedly, our stories begin in conversation. As we say in Fiji, ‘You can take the child out of the village, but you cannot take the village out of the child’, she said.

“That village, the vanua, its rhythms, its language, it shapes who we are, and that influence lingers in everything we write. Even when we move away, the village comes with us, tucked in our hearts, in our memories, in our suitcases with which our families have moved.”

Renowned writer and publisher, Paulini Turagabeci, who edited the book said that writing and reading stories will always bring everyone together.

“Let me remind us all that while waters may divide us, stories will always bring us home,” she said.

Where the Sugarcane Grows is more than a collection, it’s a celebration of voices often unheard, a bridge between generations, and a tribute to the stories that shape Fiji’s cultural landscape.

It blends the talents of seasoned and emerging writers to weave tales of resilience, identity, and the enduring spirit of Fiji’s sugarcane communities.