Early on Saturday morning, a march set off from Namulomulo Village and ended at the Naulumatua Government compound. It was the first Yellow Ribbon Walk in Bua Province, organized by the Fiji Corrections Service together with the communities of the region. Three thousand people came.
Bua was the last of Fiji’s 14 provinces that had not yet signed an agreement with the Corrections Service on the reintegration of former inmates. The walk was meant to change that. Before the march itself, a symposium brought together officials and the people of Bua for open conversation.
The Paramount Chief, the Tui Bua, Ratu Makutu Nagavoka, told the crowd that Bua is a hard place to get to. People have to cross streams, travel over rough terrain, sometimes by boat. That so many had turned up, he said, was a statement of unity and a willingness to support second chances. He emphasized the role of the Vanua and family systems in reintegration. Too often, he said, people are ignorant of the plight of former inmates, and that ignorance pushes them back into the criminal cycle.
Sera Vakatalea, 43, from Nabouwalu, called the walk something new for the area. It would help people understand why those returning home deserve support. Bernadette Delana, 60, said it was her first time attending such an event. The march teaches people to accept and care for others, she said.
It is a quiet step: 54 villages of a province deciding to open their doors.
Sources: