“Duisiga”
p. 43 · Read in the full issue
Fiji Language Newspaper Is Established
By Judy Tudor
Suva, Aug. 31.
fTUJI’s first Fijian-language weekly
i newspaper is 27 weeks old with the current issue; and the pub sher-editor, Richard Abel, feels hat he can uncross his fingers to certain extent: “Duisiga” seems ) be going to take.
The name was given to the paper y Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna but is ae of those words rather impos ble of literal translation into nglish. The nearest approach *ems to be “a very good day” but means more than that to a Fijian id that is what counts in this case.
The paper is printed at the Ocean rintery, which was taken over by . N. Dean, an Indian resident of iva, about last November. Duisiga the same size and has the same rmat as the defunct Oceanic Daily ews.
It usually rims to 12 pages, is tractively set out and is entirely Fijian. It has the blessing of e Government of Fiji and the liefs, and there seems to be no tubt about its popularity among e Fijians. At the beginning it
printed only 2,000 copies; circulation has already increased to 3,100 and is growing each week.
Because circulation figures can sometimes mean little, and to see if its popularity were not mere wish ful thinking on the part of the owner, I checked with the local Public Relations Office and also asked a few stray Fijians what they thought about it.
The PRO feel it is a “very good thing” and the Fijian answer in variably was a big grin, and the reply that the Fijians liked it “very much.” Fijian enthusiasm for it is borne out by the fact that when it is displayed on various bookstalls round town, invariably there is a Fijian there getting a free read of the front page—checking up on the progress of the Fijian Rugby team now touring in NZ, most likely.
There now are about 130,000 Fijians in the Colony. The great majority cannot read English but they are all literate in their own language.
All these people are in the market for certain overseas manufactured goods and this all-Fijian paper could be a first-rate medium for advertising. It already carries a good amount of local advertising, but so far has not attracted much from Australia or New Zealand.
Duisiga sells at 6d. per copy.