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On 13 June 1996, The Fiji Times published an article about visually impaired singer Milinia Vosailagi who did not let her disability stop her from pursuing her dreams.
When she sang for an audience at the Hideway Resort, most of the audience didn’t realize she couldn’t see them.
Voselaji has lived in darkness since a brain tumor took away her eyesight at the age of 14.
Although she could still see colors and read large text, as well as music at close range, the world had become a blur of indistinct shapes.
She hasn’t let it ruin her love for life, rugby or the good things in life, like her six-year-old son.
A run along Queen’s Road every morning won’t hurt your health either.
The vibrant 29-year-old singer writes songs about flowers, trees, people, love, Fiji and “her” Nadroga.
She sang a variety of songs, from pop songs to island songs, Hindi songs to Fijian songs.
She said life was hard and she had to work harder to succeed.
But she was happy.
At the time, she had just completed her first year as a professional singer, performing six nights a week at the Hideway for tourists and locals.
She also recorded a second album, which includes a song dedicated to Nadroga rugby president Peter Hughes, who died in a car accident in 1995.
She shot to fame with a song on her first album, Hakwa Nadro, about the Nadroga rugby team winning the Fairbrother Sullivan Trophy.
Vosailagi is also a promising entrant for the Vakalutuivoce Composer Award.
The guidance and composition of music teacher Iliesa Baravilala from Lautoka Conservatory of Music helped to build her confidence in composing her own music and songs.
Even though it meant traveling from Nadroga, she took the initiative to seek guidance from Master Balavillala every week because she knew she still had a lot to learn if she wanted to be the best.
Her inspiration often comes from sitting in a lonely place, such as a beach.
“I would sit by myself, listening to the wind blowing, the sound of the waves – the music and the lyrics would come to my mind. At the same time, I would write them down. Then I would go to my sister and ask her to write it down in my songbook.”
Vosailagi is not new to the music industry, having won her first award in 1982 at a talent show sponsored by the Red Cross.
Her first prize was a trip to New Zealand. She was also a regular performer in the Fiji School for the Blind Band and accompanied the Purple Rose Band in their concerts in Sigatoka.
Voselagi said she was devastated when she lost her sight.
“I couldn’t see anything, but after surgery (in New Zealand), my vision gradually returned and I can now walk fairly independently.”
She immersed herself in life at the Fiji School for the Blind, learning how to coexist with disability.
There, she represented Fiji at the Pan Pacific Blind Games in Melbourne, winning three gold medals and four bronze medals in multiple sports.
She also completed vocational training at a school for the blind and a hotel and catering school, and worked in a bank, Sigatoka Hospital and elsewhere.
She tried to find a job during the day and sang at night.
“I always advise my friends and other disabled people not to stay at home. With our talents, we must work hard to achieve it and not think that our disabilities will hold us back.
“At the same time, we have to be strong and fight for what we want.”
Despite the training, she still faced discrimination due to her disability and was unable to find hotel work.
“We need support from employers and the government to get jobs and prove we have the ability to do as well as anyone else.
“I had faced a lot of discrimination, so when the opportunity to sing came, I grabbed it.
“When I started working at Hideway, it only took me one day to get familiar with the place.”
She said she was initially distressed by the loss of her eyesight.
“Before I lost my sight, I could see how beautiful the world was, but then everything was dark.
“I cry to God sometimes, but I thank Him for giving me the knowledge, talents and career to help me in my life.
“Now I accept that I don’t have good eyesight,” Voselagi said.
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