The U.S. Now They Say

luring Fijians Do A First Class Publicity Job The U.S. Now They Say “It’s Our Fiji Band”

From Ralph Craib

SAN FRANCISCO, September 27.

Fiji has been put on the mental maps of millions of ericans this last week. The Crown Colony has had the sort tourist-attacting publicity that European nations spend ions of dollars annually to get.

JONS of Americans have en on television, or heard on dio, the band of the Fiji y Forces, which left today me after stealing the show l Francisco’s second annual Festival.

Fijians were an instant and ular hit, overshadowed in st few days of their visit r Soviet Premier Khrushchev, a,s also in town, bandsmen are going to have ;o tell when they get home, October 16. ig their adventures, for in was a trip to Disneyland, at about the same time s rem i e r Khrushchev was ining that this was for »n him. “I thought that dreaming,” Lance Corporal roka Savenaga, 30, said. “I ;ard of Disneyland only as a for people of wealth to go.” y thought the world had come ;nd,” said Norman McDonald, ficer with the Fijians at

Guadalcanal and Bougainville, who has been travelling with them as a Pan American Airways represent ative. Some of the Disneyland at tractions are designed to frighten, with monsters, ghosts and appari tions, and the bandsmen reacted violently.

Nation Wide Network The 26 members of the band arrived here aboard the Himalaya, after a stop which included recitals and a television appearance in Honolulu, and a march through the streets in Vancouver, BC. The band master, Warrant Officer Kiniviliame Cava, flew from British Columbia to Hollywood to make advance pre parations for a television perform ance on a nation-wide American network show.

Immediately on arrival here, the Fijians flew to Hollywood, rehearsed for two nights until 2 a.m., then appeared as guests of singer Dinah Shore. Their trip to Disneyland followed.

As Khrushchev rode by train from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the bandsmen made a parallel trip by bus, arriving about the same time as Mr. K. Then their arduous week began, with up to four daily appearances. They brought a tanoa and yaqona, and San Francisco Mayor George Christopher went through a kava ceremony with them; they marched every day in downtown San Francisco, performed every night but one at a Pacific Festival Trade and Travel Show.

They played at an American foot ball game, in a shopping centre, at the Press Club, for a meeting of travel agents, at a grand ball, m a University and at a formal military retreat ceremony.

There were only two nights free.

In one, they introduced the tuiboto, their conga-like dance, to San Francisco’s North Beach nightclub ai One of the evenings on the town began with dinner at the Kuo Wah

Restaurant in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Manager Andy Young invited the bandsmen to be his guests, then, he said, got out a globe to find out where Fiji is. Bandsmen sang for their supper, entertaining Young with Isa Lei, Bu Ko Suva, Bau my Landa Sere.

As guests of Enrico Banducci, a well-known San Francisco night club owner, the bandsmen trooped to hungry i (they don’t use capitals there) to watch singers and other entertainers. Later, they attended an after-the-theatre party at Enrico’s Coffee House, a place where £5 evaporates in a hurry; they were, however, guests.

The party was for English actress Viveca Lindfors and American stage and movie star Burgess Meredith, who happily joined another tuiboto line.

“There have been many exciting things,” Private Timoci Boto, 20, baby of the band, said.

“We have liked the way the people of San Francisco have treated us,”

Private Maicavu Filimoni, 26, said.

“They have shown great kindness.

People have come to us many, many times to tell us they like us.”

Worked Hard

The bandsmen have worked hard.

But as they leave —with a first place trophy for their appearance m the parade which climaxed the Pacific Festival some San Franciscans were regretting an American dis courtesy of almost a century a-so* King Cakobau offered Fiji to the United States while the American States were busy with a civil war.

His letter went unanswered.

The Fiii Band was being intro duced as “our Fiji Band” before its appearance here concluded. A lot of Imlricans now wish Cakobau’s letter had been answered!

Drum-major Epeli Raiyawa was a conspicuous figure during the American tour of the Fiji Military Forces band. He is a veteran of 14 years service with the FMF.

Photo: Rob Wright, Fiji PRO.