By Va'ai Nah Folasa

This article presents an opinion and commentary on recent events affecting the community in Samoa. It is based on the facts and in some cases corrects the "facts" reported by others.

The front page of the Samoa Observer on Tuesday 28th June gave a very telling snapshot of the state of the nation.

The lead article "Court Orders End to Impasse" detailed the most recent ruling by the Supreme Court. On the one hand it found that the impromptu swearing in of the FAST parliament on 24 May was unlawful and void. On the other hand it set forth a very clear and unequivocal path to the establishment of the XVII parliament which must occur within 7 days of the decision (by Monday 5 July). Most importantly the court made it very clear that any obstruction to this would find the perpetrator(s) in contempt and face the full wrath of the Court.

The decision was a neat legal solution to the current political crisis.…more

One enchanted evening, twelve unlikely strangers meet at a ball …

Internationally renowned modern dance company Black Grace are putting together a show that is based around a party that everyone is invited to, especially the outsiders. Founding Artistic Director of Black Grace Neil Ieremia brings together a unique cast of past and current performers to dance and celebrate another day of living.  

With a diverse cast including Edward Cowley (aka Buckwheat), Jody Jackson-Becerra, and Neil Ieremia himself – The Outsiders’ Ball promises to be a fun night out, set to tunes from Al Green to Grace Jones, Troy Kingi to Grandmaster Flash.

Over the past 25 years Black Grace has changed the face of contemporary dance in Aotearoa New Zealand, drawing upon Neil Ieremia’s Samoan heritage and melding it with Māori and Western influences to create unique expressions of contemporary identity. Black Grace has traveled the world through art, performing Neil’s choreography in Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Caledonia, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States of America.…more

Enjoy this highlight footage of Folarin & Ernestina's beautiful wedding ceremony & reception in Sydney, Australia

The groom is Nigerian and the bride is Ghanian/Tongan - a celebration of marriage and a celebration in this case of three cultures coming together as one.  We love to see it.

-

- 

QUESTion Weddings

On Saturday the 19th of June, a freak tornado wreaked havoc through Papatoetoe in South Auckland tearing through homes, shattering roofs and uprooting trees. It killed one man, contractor Janesh Prasad, and injured at least two others.

Jordyn Makiha and Rob Pome'e shared clips in the video above showing some of the devastation to Jordyn's family home and damage to cars and houses in Rob's neighbourhood.

Many residents were without power for at least two nights but they didn't want to leave their homes in case things went missing from their property.  Some families sent their children to stay with relatives where they could, until the power was restored.  

Freyberg resident Taulagi Momoiseā thought she was going to die when the tornado hit, thinking the house was about to collapse.  She was so traumatised she wouldn't go back into the house and stayed with her grand-daughter in Otara until the power in their house was back on.…more

7 Pasifika women have made the Y25, a list of 25 extraordinary women under the age of 25.

Each year the YWCA Aotearoa puts together a list of Y25 rising trailblazers. The YWCA looks for young women who are raising their voices, . The Y25 are doers, makers, shakers, change-makers and community leaders doing incredible things to change their world. 

This year the Y25 list has environmental activists, STEM champions, community advocates, rainbow warriors, innovative entrepreneurs, and more. Amongst this list of passionate and talented young women are 7 young leaders from the Pasifika community.

These young Pasifika women are empowered, motivated and ready to change the world. 

Introducing the 7 Pasifika women on the Y25…  

-

Latayvia Tualasea Tautai, 22

Pasifika Advocate & financial advisor

Latayvia is a champion for equality, uplifting the voices of those most marginalised. She is studying towards a conjoint degree BA/LLB and works part time at Fonua Ola, a Pacific social service. As a financial mentor, Latayvia also does  WINZ advocacy, delivers financial literacy courses, food parcel support and anything needed.…more

Story collated and written by Haitelenisia Afemui ‘Uhila Angilau for her 'Ordinary Tongan Lives' facebook page

“We have four children—two of them are autistic. When Viliami was 2, he still couldn’t say a word. I took him for checkups but everything was just normal. He did like to suck his thumb though. To stop it, we put chili on his thumb. Once he stopped thumb-sucking, he started making certain noises. And he began to be very clumsy. He was healthy and strong but he just never spoke.

At about 5 or 6 years old, that’s when I knew he’s just never going to speak. But that didn’t stop us from taking him to school. We took him to Ella’s Kindergarten then to the government’s school at Ngele’ia. It was through the teachers that we learned Viliami was autistic. Once I knew, I turned to the internet to learn as much as I can about autism. I learned so much from parents who were raising autistic kids and it helped a lot to bridge the communication breakdown we had.…more

Auckland Councillor Efeso Collins, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo and Tonga RSE coordinator and former journalist Sefita Hao'uli discuss the upcoming Dawn Raids apology in an extended panel with Indira Stewart.