Culture

The ministry’s Culture Division will be doing a record keeping of Samoa’s cultural heritage in order to meet the demand for the information needed.

The ministry said Senior Culture Officer, Mata’afa Elia Autagavaia will be publishing in a compilation of books called Samoa Ne’i Galo- from his findings on Samoan culture.

He has been with the Ministry for over 60 years, initially as a teacher and gradually becoming the current specialist of the division.

Samoa Ne'i Galo series will include stories and legends from villages across Samoa. 

New Zealand needs to attract $40 million for a fund that will enable projects targeting climate change, sustainability and covid-19 recovery in the Pacific.

But, Pacific Cooperation Foundation Project Manager David Vaeafe said it's important the Pacific way is acknowledged, and the fund has the potential to do a lot of long term good.

For many students, this year’s ASB Polyfest was their first chance to embrace their heritage on the grandest stage of them all.

With the Samoan and Tongan stages kicking off, it was natural some had butterflies.

"It feels good but I’m nervous at the same time," says a Year 7 St Peter's College Samoan student.

While for others, their competitive side was on show.

A Tongan student at Sacred Heart College says he joined the group to "make history, take home the dub and rep the culture".

The event which celebrates culture is held every four years.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Our heritage, our culture” emphasizing the value of Samoan traditions and legacies.

Its’ purpose is for people with various knowledge in different areas of intelligence to share ideas and knowledge to advance the students and colleges.

Anita Latai-Niusulu and Seve Tuipe’a Aloimaina Folototo Seve, co-managers said the official opening started with the ava ceremony on Monday.

The Samoa Teacher’s Cultural Group together with its’ initiators held an exhibition to commemorate the success of the group that put Samoa on global map in the past.

The group was formed to represent Samoa at the first South Pacific Festival of Arts held in Fiji in 1972.

Minister Loau said the group has been representing Samoa at the festival over a number of years since then.

Their goal was to implant the traditional knowledge in the hearts of the Samoans.

Samoan Language Week began yesterday with an evening church service in Auckland organised by FAGASA, a group established 25 years ago to support Samoan language learning in New Zealand.

The Minister of Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio said he hoped this year more people would take part in the Samoan language and cultural celebrations nationwide.

"Alofa atu nei. Alofa mai taeao" is this year's theme meaning kindness given is kindness received, Aupito said.

It will be held at Odlins Plaza on the waterfront and feature performances by traditional and contemporary Pacific artists.

There will also be traditional pacific food, including a Pacific Island Cook-Off and a range of family-friendly activities.

The festival will be MCed by Tofiga Fepulea'i a former member of the comedy duo the Laughing Samoans.

The Wellington council says it is an opportunity for all Pacific people to celebrate and share their knowledge, values and beliefs.

The Wellington Pasifika Festival runs from 12 noon until 6pm.

A recent study found that more than 2 billion adults and children globally are overweight or obese and suffer health problems because of that -- but this is nothing new.

Tiny "golden lotus" feet -- achieved through breaking girls' toes and arches and binding them to the sole of the foot with cloth -- were thought to be a passport to a better marriage and a better way of life.

"In the conventional view, it existed to please men. They were thought to be attracted to small feet," said Laurel Bossen, co-author of the new book "Bound feet, Young hands."

But Bossen's research suggests that the custom has been massively misunderstood.

I explained that the symposium, in part, responds to those who doubt the wealth, breadth and quality of modernism in this region. She laughed, knowing all too well the criticism that Middle East art practitioners face.

As an arts writer, I've heard the uninformed allegations countless times.

"The Middle Eastern art scene is a bubble."

"Its art arena is five minutes old."

"There is no institutional interest or acquisition."