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Fiji and Covid-19: August 2021
After high hopes Fiji would escape Covid-19 last March, in April the Delta variant arrived on a flight from India.

B.M. Allsopp
Aug 15, 20213 min read


The perils of being white in Fiji
Not long after arriving in Suva, I was waiting at a crowded bus stop, idly watching chattering school kids in their colourful uniforms....

B.M. Allsopp
Jul 12, 20213 min read


Semisi Maya: heroic Fiji artist
I regret I've only recently discovered Semisi Maya. When researching my fifth Fiji Islands Mystery, I came across St Elizabeth's Home in...

B.M. Allsopp
Jun 14, 20213 min read


The Blue Lagoon
What prompted your interest in Fiji or the South Pacific islands in general? A friend from the University of the South Pacific (USP) in...

B.M. Allsopp
May 15, 20213 min read


Fiji's fabulous fabric: masi
The art of patterned cloth-making Cook so admired 250 years ago is still practised widely and highly prized.

B.M. Allsopp
Apr 14, 20213 min read


Fiji and Covid-19: update March 2021
Many of you will want to know what Covid-19 is up to now in these beautiful islands.

B.M. Allsopp
Mar 15, 20213 min read


Cyclone Yasa batters Fiji
Cyclone Yasa Four years ago, I reported here about Fiji's recovery from 2016's Cyclone Winston, the most devastating cyclone in Fiji's...

B.M. Allsopp
Feb 15, 20212 min read


Mysterious settings
I was thrilled and a bit awed when Sisters in Crime Australia (SICA) invited me to write a blog post about the setting for my...

B.M. Allsopp
Jan 14, 20213 min read


Coconut Christmas: a Fiji twist
An easy recipe and a glorious Christmas chorus... I'm a sentimental traditionalist when it comes to Christmas food, particularly...

B.M. Allsopp
Dec 13, 20202 min read


Fiji celebrates 50 years
Today I don't intend to analyse or discuss the current challenges facing Fiji. I simply want to congratulate...

B.M. Allsopp
Oct 25, 20202 min read


Fiji's Indian story
Many visitors to Fiji are curious about the origin of the current large population of ethnic Indians (around 37 percent) in the middle...

B.M. Allsopp
Oct 14, 20203 min read


Fiji in July: Covid-19 update
Three months ago I reported Fiji had 16 confirmed Covid-19 cases, all traced to two sources. There had been no deaths. Three months later, a

B.M. Allsopp
Jul 13, 20202 min read


Strangers in Paradise: Fiji's feral foes
Mammals of Fiji
1. How many native land-mammal species does Fiji have?
2. These species all belong to one mammal class. Any guesses?

B.M. Allsopp
Jun 14, 20202 min read


Fiji fishing: the one that got away?
How much fresh fish do you eat in a year? I know I don't eat nearly as much as coastal Fijians. The most recent survey I can find

B.M. Allsopp
May 16, 20202 min read


How Fiji copes: Covid-19 and Harold
When I posted a month ago, no cases of Covid-19 had been identified in Fiji. Inevitably, this has changed. There are now 16 confirmed cases

B.M. Allsopp
Apr 15, 20202 min read


Fiji's viral epidemics
The CoVid-19 pandemic is now demonstrating the meaning of "going viral" around the globe and has certainly overtaken the global media.

B.M. Allsopp
Mar 15, 20203 min read


Vijay Singh: Fiji's PGA star
it may come as a surprise that Fiji's most world-famous, most successful and most enduring sports star is the golfer, Vijay Singh, nicknamed

B.M. Allsopp
Feb 15, 20202 min read


My fiery New Year in Australia
Since the disastrous bush fires in Australia are headline news around the world, I have been touched by emails from readers...

B.M. Allsopp
Jan 12, 20202 min read


Christmas cake and carols
Christmas in Fiji In the scatter of islands which make up Fiji, the indigenous Fijian majority share a deep Christian faith, so Christmas...
B.M. Allsopp
Dec 15, 20192 min read


Sweet and sour: Fiji's sugar story
The Hindu festival of Diwali ended in Fiji a week ago. What is the principal ingredient of the mouth-watering sweets made, given and...
B.M. Allsopp
Nov 15, 20192 min read
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