State funeral held to bid farewell to Samoa’s longest serving journalist

A state funeral was held to bid farewell to one of Samoa's longest-serving journalists, Afemata Tunumafono Apelu Aiavao.

He passed away at the age of 91.

Hundreds of families and friends gathered at the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa at Sataoa, to pay tribute and say their final good-byes before he was laid to rest at Tauesealemanu.

Among the mourners were the caretaker Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr. Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, and caretaker Cabinet Ministers. 

In the year 1963, Afemata edited Samoa College’s first publication. He then became a School Principal at Palauli Primary School in Savai'i. 

From the years between 1979 and 2000, Afemata worked at the Government of Samoa's Press Secretariat where he was also the editor of the Government-owned Savali newspaper for 21 years.

In 2007, he became the editor of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa's "Sulu Samoa", which was first established in  1839.

Afemata retired as the Editor of the country's "Sulu Samoa", the country's longest-running Samoan language publication, in 2018.