SHOP PASIFIKA - WHERE TO ORDER PACIFIC ACCESSORIES
By Taualofa Totu’a
Heres a list of Pasifika small businesses where you can get all the coolest accessories! Style up your summer or find statement pieces to add colour to your work fits.
Sprinkle Pacific flava on to your "Outfits Of The Day" with these gems:
HANDMADE TIE AND EARRINGS GIFT SET!
Who: FOU Custom Made
From Pacific Fusion Fashion Show Designer Profile:
Mt Roskill label Fou Custom Made is a stylish fusion of old and new. Describing their style as out of the box but wearable, the trio behind FOU Custom Made – Asomaliu Tagi’ilima, Nora Harriman and Mary So’onaoso – say they want Pacific women to be confident in their designs.
“We want to empower women to be proud and embrace their bodies in all shapes and sizes,” says Asomaliu. “No matter their shape, anyone can rock a sassy, gorgeous outfit.”
A scan through FOU’s Facebook and Instagram accounts shows the company has been busy custom making a wide range of clothing for all occasions. It’s a small money earner for the FOU team who all have day jobs.…more
#Opinion Call to ban locally manufactured Spirits
By Va'ai Nah Folasa
Cover image by Samoa Observer photo journalist - Vaitogi A Matafeo
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Another drinking session in the village of Safai Savaii has ended with the death of a 26 year old man, allegedly killed by his own brother.
This tragic incident has no doubt had a devastating impact on the family who has not only lost a young life but another is charged with murder. Our sympathies go out to this family at this very challenging time.
In time and in the Samoan way there will be forgiveness. However, they will never forget the unnecessary and tragic end to a life. Some wounds will never heal.
Could this tragedy have been avoided?
Reports indicate that this incident can be directly attributed to the drinking of the locally produced Rover vodka. This spirit is cheap, readily available in plastic bottles of different sizes (up to 2 litres at a time for around $40) and is guaranteed to get you really drunk really fast.…more
'We are Samoa' - A Diamond Gala Evening
The We Are Sāmoa: A Diamond Gala Evening celebrates 75 years of legendary Sāmoan musician Jerome Fa'anānā Grey. The celebratory gala event will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at Fete The Venue, in Costa Mesa, California.
In this video the children of the legendary Fa’anānā Jerome Grey - Tini, Sisa, Ana, and Mata share why they are passionate about serving the community and why the 'We Are Sāmoa' Gala’s mission is to raise funds for three key initiatives that are inspired by their personal story:
• General Education Scholarships for Pacific Islanders students in college.
• Jerome Grey Performing Arts Scholarship to support Pacific Islander students pursuing a career in the arts.
• Diabetes and Heart Disease Awareness programs for the Pacific Islander community.
“It wasn’t easy making ends meet on a musician’s budget… no matter how famous our dad was.…more
Sports Talk - MMA/Kickboxing legend Mark Hunt & 'The Fight of his Life'
"The documentary is pretty much about my lifes journey up until this point, about adversity, overcoming adversity and about life in general as a Pacific Islander & New Zealander growing up in South Auckland.
Coming from a troubled past, probably similar to a lot of kids in that age and era in South Auckland - the repercussions of it all, you don't realise you're not normal until you meet someone who's normal, you don't realise how bad you are until you meet someone who's normal and cares about you" - Mark Hunt
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Legendary K1, Pride & UFC fighter Mark "Super Samoan" Hunt joins us to talk about his new feature length documentary which is out now in both New Zealand and Australia in select cinemas.
He talks about how sharing his story through both his book and the doco has been therapeutic, the financial and emotional toll the lawsuit against the UFC has taken on his life, life after professional sports, his advice to up & coming fighters and much more.…more
$121 million funding boost to support the Arts, Culture & Heritage sector
The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Carmel Sepuloni has announced that the Government is delivering a $121 million funding boost to support the arts and cultural sector through this latest phase of the pandemic.
The etra funding comes from the Governments Covid Response and Recovery Fund.
"Artists, musicians, creatives and performers across the motu have been both generous & instrumental in supporting & promoting the Govt’s COVID-19 response & vaccination efforts. I acknowledge & appreciate every effort this sector has made, because they’ve helped save lives.
Now it is the government's opportunity to respond quickly & throw our support behind the sector, which has served New Zealanders so well during the pandemic." - Minister Sepuloni
Designed to cushion the blow from Omicron after the Events Calendar was sabotaged, the funding will supports artists and arts practitioners (who are usually sole traders/self-employed individuals), arts organisations, the screen sector, as well as support for performances and events that were planned before the move to Red.
An additional $70.7m in funding will to the Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme, originally set at $22.5m.…more
Samoa Update: 31 active Covid cases in managed isolation
Another new Covid positive case today takes Samoa's Covid count up to 31 active cases in managed isolation. Controversy hit the country after it was revealed that last Saturday 29th January a breach in the Island's State of emergency led to a frontline worker in isolation being driven to an ATM machine in town.
The Prime Minister has assured the country that this breach has been taken seriously and there are currently no community cases of Covid on the Island.
Here's the latest from the Samoan Government regarding Samoa's covid status:
Following completion of the sixth testing schedule on 1st February, one new positive case was identified from the nursing staff that work in the Isolation Ward taking the total positive cases in managed isolation to 31.
All other 48 passengers continue to test negative and are in good health. The 25 positive tested passengers are all asymptomatic and are in good health
All frontline workers in quarantine continue to present negative test results, remain asymptomatic and in good health.…more
WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - SHAR TUIASOA
Shar Tuiasoa
Illustrator
Tongan
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Tell us about yourself - where you live and what inspires you in life? What do you love about being a Pacific woman in this space?
I live in Kailua, Hawai'i on the island of O'ahu. My dad comes from the village of Ha'akame, Tonga on Tongatapu. He came to Hawai'i when he was 14. I grew up in Hawai'i surrounded by Hawaiian and local culture, but I was really lucky to also be close to my Tongan family. My biggest inspiration in my art comes from Hawai'i. Of course I am inspired by the stories of all our Pasifika people, by our origins, by our ancestors, and by our nature, but Hawai'i is what I am most familiar with. I am inspired by the shapes and patterns in our Tapa/Kapa and our Tatatau/Kakau. And I am also inspired by animation and pop culture. I love watching current illustration trends and seeing how they might relate to my perspective.…more
MMA fighter Fau Vake attack: Man pleads guilty to manslaughter
Cover image photos courtesy of Willie Vake
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A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Fau Vake, a rising MMA fighter who was punched in a late night attack in Auckland last year.
Liufau Vake, 25, known as Fau, died in hospital nine days after being hit late at night outside a bar on Symonds St. He was in critical care and underwent surgery to try relieve pressure on his brain.
Today in the Auckland High Court, Daniel Havili pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Fau Vake, and to assaulting Fau's brother Ika Vake, who survived. Havili's name suppression lapsed today and he can be named for the first time.
Another man, Siofilisi Paongo, pleaded guilty to assaulting Ika Vake.
Both men initially pleaded not guilty and were set to be tried in court later this year. They will now be sentenced on April 12 this year.
A total of four men were charged. Three have now pleaded guilty, and one denies his charges and will go to trial this year.…more
Ifiele'ele Plantation: Flavours of Change
Over a decade ago, Fogalepolo Lepou (Paul) and wife Joan decided to pack up and move from New Zealand to Samoa, driven by a call of duty to his mother (Su’a Siapo Suisui Faiga Ripley Lepou) and her restless dreams of making use of her family land in Fasito’o-uta, Samoa.
What started off as an exercise in honouring a parents’ wish eventually evolved into a journey of self discovery for Paul, who found himself re-connecting with his culture, family and the land. Paul and Joan built and developed the Ifiele'ele Plantation, a stunning organic farm retreat offering accommodation.
Today it is a living tribute to an inherited dream and a celebration of the inextricable bonds between family, land and traditions in Samoan culture.
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Video credit & Thank You to: World Bank Pacific and the Samoa Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity and Marketing Project
Love Letters to Tonga
After the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai erruption on 14 January 2022 Tonga has been on the minds and in the hearts of many around the world.
The current covid travel restrictions and islands safety measures have meant that not a lot of people are able to go to Tonga to help with relief. This coupled with continued connectivity hiccups, has lead many people to express their love for the kingdom online.
The bountiful love for Tonga is evident in the various fundraisers, resource drives and community mobilisations to get help back to the beloved islands. Along with tangible forms of ofa (love) there has been a outpour of written love online.
Through our social media pages we were able to collect anonymous Love Letters to Tonga. Since the devastating disaster we have received an enormous amount of love for Tonga in our inbox through peoples heartfelt messages.
Below are some of the messages we've received, accompanied by Images from Malau Media:
"I love you my dear homeland."
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