Opposition leader and lay preacher in the Methodist Church Sitiveni Rabuka says some people destroy traditional artefacts because they link the items pre-Fiji Christian era.

He was commenting on the burning the items tanoa, tabua, and other items in Namoli Village in Lautoka, by a Christian group in a bid to lift what they believed was a curse on the village.

He said there were similar acts in the past where some prayer groups were burn­ing items and artefacts, believing them to be not necessarily witchcraft, but relics of pre-Fiji Christian era.

“They feel they have to get rid of it, it’s a family hand-it-down item and get rid of it because they associate it with some practices that do not harmonise with their Christian belief,” he said.

“In this case, I do not know why they are doing it, whether it is the Methodist Church or a prayer group in the village.

“I know that Namoli Vil­lage is a very strong di­vision of the Methodist Church in Fiji and I do not believe they would be doing anything that is not in keep­ing with the directions and authority of the Methodist Church in Fiji.

“I think it is a personal thing for every person. It is not something a church or a denomination should be dictating,” Mr Rabuka said.

Edited by Susana Tuilau

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