2005 Festivities
Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day in 2005 was celebrated in 19 centers around Fiji, including on the island of Rotuma. 24 May saw the beginning of a week of celebrations that culminated on 30 May with an event at Suva's Albert Park, with President Ratu Josefa Iloilo as the chief guest.
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase launched the festivities under the theme of Unity in Diversity on 24 May by officially opening the new Ratu Sukuna Memorial School in Nabua. The newly completed Great Council of Chiefs complex was opened the same day, and Qarase officially launched a website about Ratu Sukuna. A song has also been composed to mark the celebrations. The Fiji Museum in Suva also hosted an exhibition featuring photographs, along with medals, walking sticks, and a glass-encased tabua (whale's tooth) that had belonged to Ratu Sukuna.
Alluding to the ethnic, religious, and political divisions that have riven Fiji in recent years, Ratu Josateki Nawalowalo, the national organizer of the celebrations, described Ratu Sukuna as "a master of reconciliation" from whom the present generation should learn. "This is the kind of leader we should try to emulate because he was true to himself and rose to the occasion when faced with daunting challenges, always proving to the nation that they could depend on him."
Read more about this topic: Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day