Good coffee, fresh fruits, free speech, and live music epito­mises a typical Friday wind down at University of Fiji’s Bema­Cino Enlightenment Coffeehouse.

Located at University of Fiji’s Sa­mabula and Suva campuses, it is a hub for expression and advocacy, where patrons also enjoy presenta­tions from students and staff.

Established by the School of Law, the Bema Platform at Samabula Campus was a space designed to assist law students in advocacy and speaking skills, as they trained to be lawyers in 2019.

The platform gradually became available for more students, before the School of Law decided to open a café adjacent to the Bema, to allow students to listen to speeches and presentations during lunch time.

Suitable alternative refreshments are served to ensure that only healthy food and drink options are available.

Healthy vegetarian brain food is among the essential and core val­ues of an educational institution such as the University of Fiji, Vice Chancellor Professor Shaista Sha­meem said.

The way of the future

It is the way of the future as fusion vegetarian food is to be promoted in the world as one of the means of promoting non-violence, she says.

The University of Fiji’s BemaCino is not just about an activity with food, it can represent food of di­verse cultures, which sources most of its fresh product from campus’ gardens.

The direction for healthy food and drinks was reinforced by the onset of COVID-19.

It is a concept rooted in enlighten­ment tradition, where democracy, academic freedom, and freedom of expression and opinion are valued as part of the wider education.

“It was what is needed in the age of the pandemic,” Professor Sha­meem said.

“The 21st Century Enlightenment Coffeehouse the BemaCino is what makes Unifiji unique among other higher educational institutions which consider food as just an ad­junct to the business of the institu­tion.”

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