Kia Manawanui: be strong, steadfast, tolerant, brave, unwavering, and committed.
#Opinion by Taualofa Totu'a
The phrase Kia Manawanui means to be strong, steadfast, tolerant, brave, unwavering, and committed.
To be honest, like so many in our Moana community, I have been uncomfortable with remaining ‘tolerant’ during this lockdown, let alone committed. But not in the way you may think. I am but one of many Pacific youth fully vaccinated, committed to keeping lockdown rules. The worthwhile highlight of scrolling through petty arguments on Twitter, is seeing other youth like Hele and Fili amongst the vaccination volunteers, encouraging our people to get the vax.
Bubble life for my family this time round has improved in some ways and decreased in others. We have 4 of us challenging our internet strength by streaming school, 1 Zooming with their distracted students, another with their patients, and an elder glued to her Radio Samoa Live Facebook stream. My intergenerational bubble has become more reliant on technology than ever before, (our poor power bills). Our once regulated lockdown cooking schedule seems to have given way to mea’ai saiga, Maccas share boxes and toast at 10pm.…more
Sienna Lalau & Parris Goebel - Choreography Queens
Just over a week ago Jennifer Lopez took the stage at the Global Citizen Festival in New York performing a number of her hits and Rihanna dropped her highly anticipated Savage X Fenty Volume 3 fashion show which premiered on Amazon Prime Video.
Vastly different shows but one thing they do have in common - Samoan choreographers!
20 year old Sienna Lalau choreographed Jennifer Lopez' set. Born and raised in Hawai'i before moving to Los Angeles when she was 16, she's worked with Ciara and then J-Lo touring as a dancer with her previously but it wasn't until she collaborated with K-Pop group BTS that her career sky rocketed.
Check out some of her behind the scenes choreography routines for the Global Citizen Show ("If you have my love" choreography by Sienna in the video above) and then J-Lo performing it live in her show in the videos below.…more
NRL superstar Brian To'o's shock proposal after Grand Final win | Wide World of Sports
Brian To'o suprises his girlfriend Sala Moesha Chrichton-Ropati with the big question following his NRL premiership win.
NRL legend Cameron Smith talks to the couple after the Penrith Panthers win and their engagement.
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Meanwhile Western Sydney are still celebrating the Penrith Panthers win ...
Tale of Two Cities: Pasifika speak out about the NZ government's roadmap out of lockdown
Cover image photo credit: Stuff
As todays 4pm press conference came to a close, there were many reactions from Pasifika people ranging from confusion, to worry, and some tentative optimism as our community unravels the various new Auckland level conditions.
Social media lit up with a raft of comments, people venting their confusion and worries for the Pasifika communities and struggling to comprehend how these eased restrictions even apply to anyone in their communities.…more
Rally call for Samoans in Auckland to get vaccinated
Samoans across Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland are being encouraged to get vaccinated to increase the vaccination rate for Samoans, the largest population of Pacific peoples.
With Samoans being the largest ethnicity of the Covid-19 cases in the most recent outbreak of the Delta variant in South Auckland, local community leaders and Pacific health providers are encouraging Samoans to make the decision to get vaccinated.
In Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, there are approximately 120,000 people that identify as Samoans, which makes up the largest population of 244,000 Pacific people in the region.
“We are calling out to the Samoan community in Auckland, particularly South Auckland to make the decision to get vaccinated to protect the health and wellbeing of their aiga (family), loved ones, ekalesia (church) and community,” says Senior General Practitioner, Doctor Sirovai Fuata’i.
“As we have seen with each Covid-19 outbreak, Pacific and Māori people are highly vulnerable to the virus given our social way of life and many live with pre-existing health conditions.…more
Samoan man creates viral country music trend on TikTok
You may have heard of the trending “Neon Moon Remix” and seen the accompanying dance but did you know it was started by two Samoans?
Manumalo Moe is the Samoan TikToker who started the now viral #WhenTheSunGoesDown trend by choreographing a dance to go with DJ Noiz' Neon Moon catchy remix. The content creator posted the original dance in August and it now has over 700K people replicating the dance. All together the dance trend is racking up around 50 million likes through other people using the sound and choreography.
The sound Manumalo used and is now being heard worldwide is a remix to Brooks & Dunn's 'Neon Moon' by Samoan producer DJ Noiz. The TikTok trend even caught the attention of the country band, where they’ve posted a TikTok dancing to the remix while replicating Manumalo’s dance. DJ Noiz has released the remix on Youtube and has also reached out to Brooks & Dunn for the clearance to release his remix on other streaming platforms.…more
Viliami: A personal encounter - Mental Health Awareness Week
33 year old Viliami aka Villz shares his personal journey with mental health and learning to seek help after struggling with suicidal thoughts and depression.
"I was raised to be tough, to be a warrior, to push your emotions to the side and not show any kind of feelings that were classed as weak. This led me to find it very difficult to speak up and seek help when I fell into a dark place ... I had suicidal and negative thoughts daily ... I just wanted to die ... I couldn't see I needed help until my wife and kids brought it to my attention"
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Villz who is of Tongan heritage and his wife Nikki, live in Sydney and have 5 children. They recently set up an anti-suicide campaign geared towards encouraging individuals who are facing mental health issues to speak up and seek help.
Tama Sāmoa Project 2021
By Dahlia Malaeulu
The contributing authors for the Tama Sāmoa Project from top left corner in the photo above clockwise: Okirano Tilaia, Emmanuel Solomona, Saul Luamanuvae-Su’a, Aleki Leala, Liko Alosio, Senio Sanele, Darcy Solia, Elijah Solomona, Dr. Sadat Muaiava, Israel Risati Sua-Taulelei, Isaac Sanele, Mikaele Savali, Simati Leala, Atama Cassidy.
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Our forthcoming YA book, Tama Sāmoa, is a story based on Sione, Lima, Tavita and Filipo who are high school friends, uso or brothers. They are part of a special letter-writing project that helps to start a brave new conversation, an open and honest talanoa with themselves starting with the words, Dear Uso … Here they share the cultural challenges they face, and without realising it, their need to belong, to be accepted and the impact this has on their wellbeing overall.
The book also includes student study questions #LiteracyIntegration #RichLiteracyResource #VersatileText and the amazing Tama Sāmoa Project.…more
Ata Maivia-Johnson shares why she has chosen to be vaccinated against Covid-19
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's mother Ata Maivia-Johnson has taken to social media to share her own personal story in regards to choosing to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect herself and her family.
She also confirms in the video below that both Dwayne and his wife Lauren are vaccinated and are all doing fine. She shares her story in the hopes that it will help people overcome any vaccine hesitation.
"Pacific Islanders in many States are being hit harder than any other group. So many of our people and our families are affected to the core."
In a comment on her post, Ata's son Dwayne posts in support "Love this ma. Not an easy line to walk but really beautifully said. And very important for our culture and the world."
Dwayne, his wife and both their daughters Jasmine and Tia all contracted Covid last year before a vaccine was available and said it was one of the most challenging times he has ever faced.…more
Samson Moeakiola - Tongan actor cast as Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero in Sopranos prequel film
Watch the trailer (above and below) to the highly anticipated prequel film to cult classic series "The Sopranos" which is out this Friday in the US and stars young Tongan actor Samson Moeakiola.
"The Many Saints of Newark" has been described as a prequel to 'The Sopranos' set against the Newark race riots and focuses on charming, sociopath mobster Dickie Moltisanti. (The father of Christopher, Tony’s right-hand man in the original Sopranos series).
Samson Moeakiola plays a young Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, a New Jersey mafia lieutenant who works for Dickie Moltisanti. Vincent Pastore played Pussy in the original Sopranos series where he worked for Tony.
Samson shared in a Rolling Stone interview that he was able to spend time with the OG "Big Pussy" Vincent Pastore and called him a mentor.
Pastore would record all of the young Pussy’s dialogue for him to listen to before each filming day. “Everybody else around me already had big resumes, and this was my first job,” he says.…more