Samoa Language Week: An opportunity to build your cultural awareness

Join in – there’s phrases to learn and prizes to win!

Talofa lava! This week we’re supporting Samoa Language Week, 25-29 May 2020, an opportunity to build our culutral understanding of another Pacific neighbour, and with Gagana Sāmoa, New Zealand’s third most spoken language!

Sau Kraay from the Enrolment team is passionate about the Samoan language – watch her video talanoa

Get your language skills underway by heading to the Unitec Pacific Centre’s Facebook page. The team has been busy creating activities to help you build your Samoan language skills – there are Samoan phrases to learn, prizes to win and a special talanoa with Enrolment team member, Sau (Sauimalae) Kraay, Specialist Admissions and Assessment.

In the video talanoa, Sau talks to Ioane Aleke Fa’avae, Pacific Learning Advisor. A New Zealand born Samoan, she grew-up speaking Gagana Sāmoa at home and says she didn’t really learn to speak the English language until she went to primary school. Sau continues to use Samoan on a daily basis, with her kids at home and elders, at church, and in her role at Unitec. In the video she talks about how she encourages and supports the use of the Samoan language, and challenge everyone to learn some Samoan this week!

Competition: Take of video of yourself having speaking a Samoan or Rotuma language phrase (yes – we’re also including Rotuma Language Week from two weeks ago – which also featured on the Pacific Centre page and the Nest) – there’s plenty of videos on the page for you to learn a phrase from or create your own.

Upload your video to the Pacific Centre Facebook page and you’ll go in the draw to win one of two $50.00 Westfield vouchers! Note: Entries must be uploaded to the Pacific Centre page (not via email).

Samoa Language Week theme

Tapena sou ōso mo lau malaga
Prepare yourself a gift for your travels

This phrase is about preparing for everything we may need as we go on life’s journey, and reminds us that it is not just preparing for ourselves, but also for our family and friends who travel with us. The message also highlights the need to respect and share the gifts of our life’s journey.

As outlined on the Ministry of Pacific Peoples – Samoa Language Week page, this is reflected in how Pacific People prepare for travel:

“We take everything we have learnt from our families with us, allowing us to share our ōso (gifts), alofa (love) and tatalo (prayers) with everyone we meet along the way. And with these gifts we build, nurture and strengthen our relationships, with both aiga (family) and uo (friends).”

Pacific Radio open Samoan Language Week with a discussion re proposed changes to Samoan constitution

Pacific Radio 531pi opened Samoa Language Week, with a discussion around the proposed changes to the Samoan constitution, land and titles court, featuring a guest panel which included our Director of Pacific Success, Falankio Tominiko, alongside Leiataualesa Komisi Koria – President of the Samoa Law Society, Taulapapa Brenda Heather-Latu – Former Attorney General of Samoa and Saunoamaalii Dr Karanina Sumeo. Watch the video here»

An insight to Samoan ‘tragedy and resilience’

In December last year our Director of Pacific Success, Falankio Tominiko, delivered a very special lecture A Brief History of Samoan Tragedy and Resilience. This was a fundraiser for Mūmū Samoa – a campaign to support the measles outbreak in Samoa which raised $1,665.00. You can watch this insightful and informative lecture here»