The story of the Banaban people is such that as an outsider and one one who has not heard of their story in order to understand it, one must witness the performance and drama of the Banaban Dancing group.
The group once again went out of their way to perform to full expectations of the now 300 Banabans gathered at the Civic Centre auditorium in Suva on December 15.

65 years ago, on the morning of 15th December 1945 a shipload of a suppressed passengers arrived on the shores of Rabi island. Oblivious to the weather conditions and what was ahead of them, the Banaban people of Kiribati were determined to start anew regardless of their circumstance.

Now 65 years on, the generations of those who arrived on Rabi island in Fiji commemorate this day as one of the most significant and life-changing anniversaries for them. The future of the 5,000 or so Banabans now living in Fiji and in their ancestral homeland, Banaba, are further challenged by current issues of climate change and food security.

FARMERS on Rabi island face major challenges of marketing their products to Viti Levu.

As a result, the Banaban Child Welfare has set up plans to work with the island council to help farmers market their products outside Rabi.

Welfare officer Radhika Teaoka said earning good income was a problem for many families and the lack of marketing opportunities did not help.

"We have had consultations with villagers and village leaders about the marketing problems we face in Rabi and that is one of the causes of non-payment of school fees which has increased our dropouts.