Fijian Kokoda

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Our International Music of the Month suggestion is Blue Maqams by Anouar Brahem. A virtuoso oud player from Tunisia, Brahem is known for blending Arabic and folk music with jazz. At a very young age, he studied at the Tunis National Conservatory of Music and was later mentored daily by the renowned oud master Ali Sriti. Brahem became a pioneer of the Ethno-Jazz movement, incorporating elements from various world music traditions into his compositions.

Our International Book of the Month is A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao.

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The story follows young Indian police sergeant Akal Singh who, after being deceived by a charming woman into divulging sensitive information that facilitated a series of robberies, finds himself exiled to colonial Fiji, a land and post he despises. When the Fiji Times reports the mysterious disappearance of a young female coolie, rumored to have been kidnapped, Singh's scornful superior assigns him to investigate. Was the woman abducted, or did she elope with the plantation's predatory overseer?