By Marcus Brand
This week, as the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission (FTRC) begins laying the groundwork for its trauma-informed processes, the timing is deeply symbolic.
As we are in Labasa to participate in this year’s Girmitya Day commemorations, which honoured the arrival of the first indentured labourers from India in 1879, Fiji finds itself once again in a moment of reckoning — not just with history, but with the emotional and psychological toll it continues to exact across generations.
Girmitya Day is a solemn reminder of a painful chapter in Fiji’s past: the story of over 60,000 men, women, and children brought to Fiji under colonial rule, many of whom endured unimaginable hardship, exploitation, and dislocation.
The legacy of that system still lives in the bones and bloodlines of Fiji’s people, shaping identity, relationships, and national narratives. Yet for decades, silence has shrouded much of that experience.
The work of the FTRC is aiming to break that silence.
One core tenet of the FTRC’s mission is that healing must be trauma-informed. This means more than simply acknowledging harm — it means creating processes that are grounded in empathy, care, and safety. It means making space for survivors to speak their truth without being retraumatised, and for communities to listen, reflect, and grow.
The inclusion of mental health services in the Commission’s plan is a landmark step in recognising that reconciliation is as much about emotional recovery as it is about historical accuracy.
This is especially important in a country like Fiji, where intergenerational trauma has often been unspoken yet deeply felt.
Whether the pain stems from indenture, dislocation, colonial violence, political upheaval, or social exclusion, the scars are passed down not only through memory but through silence. Truth-telling — and the safe, supported space to do so — is the beginning of healing. Not just for individuals, but for the nation.
The importance of historical documentation in this process cannot be overstated. Without honest records, without survivor testimony, without naming what happened and how, we cannot move forward. Girmitya Day serves as a poignant example: it has taken generations for that chapter of history to be acknowledged nationally. But with recognition has come an opportunity — for pride, for mourning, for understanding.
The work ahead will not be easy. Reconciliation is not a destination; it is a practice. It asks us to listen deeply, to honour truth, and to hold each other with care.
As Fiji remembers its Girmitya forebears and embarks on this critical truth-telling journey, we are reminded that healing begins with acknowledgment — and that healing, like history, belongs to all of us.
This piece was first published as post on author’s LinkedIn profile.
Contributing Author: Marcus Brand is the Chairperson of the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission. With over 25 years of international experience in democratic governance, constitutional reform, and post-conflict recovery, he brings a deep commitment to human rights and the rule of law. Trained in law and international relations, he has worked across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
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