Tag Archives: samoans

The Orator – A Review

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After much anticipation Friday January 20th finally arrived and with hard won Sundance Film Festival tickets in hand we stood in line for the opening night showing of The Orator.  As expected, it was sold out  so we made sure to be there an hour early to get a good spot in line.  When we got there however, we discovered that others had already been standing in line for 4 hours just to be sure they too got a good seat.  What surprised me was the fact that they weren’t Samoans, they weren’t even Polynesians.  I was happy that a Samoan film by a Samoan filmmaker had the kind of draw that it did to bring out such a diverse audience.

I’ll come right out and tell you, I loved the film.  Yes, I was moved by the story line, the love and companionship between such an unlikely couple and the courage of one that is often looked upon as being the least of us.  I loved the way our culture was portrayed in the film.  It depicted our Samoan way of life with the kind of unapologetic brutal honesty that only one who has lived the fa’aSamoa can do but it was done so with great respect for the Samoan culture and people.

I said unapologetic brutal honesty because it depicted many things that perhaps we’d rather the whole world doesn’t see like the makape’ape’a that sometimes accompanies the si’is or the way we treat others who are different.  But this does happen in Samoa.  I saw it growing up, I still see it sometimes when I visit Samoa.  These scenes weren’t a figment of the writer’s imagination, he too saw it growing up in Samoa.  The only difference between us is that Tusi had the talent and the courage to bring these scenes to life in a way that tells this story of Samoa.  Our Samoan way of life isn’t always perfect or fair but then what way of life is?

I loved the fact that the whole film was in Samoan.  I felt so proud to be Samoan and sitting in that audience with other Samoan families as well as Tongans, palagis, sainas, meaulis, and a host of other ethnic groups.  They laughed along with us at the typical fob jokes.  They got it, they really did!  A Tongan even asked Tusi during the Q&A session if he would consider directing a film in Tongan.  High praise indeed, don’t you think?

The artistry alone was worth the ticket to the movie.  Our Samoa is certainly a beautiful country, isn’t it?  Looking at the lush greenery and scenery made me yearn for another visit to Samoa.  And the sound of the rain on the tin rooftops, who can forget that?   Definitely brought back memories of falling asleep to that special melody.  Did I even stop to notice that when I was young girl in Samoa?  Probably not as it was just another beat in the harmony that makes up the rhythm of life that is uniquely Samoan.

The Orator is a film that transcends ethnic and language barriers and touches the humanity in all of us.  It felt real and true!  It’s not a story that is only based in Samoa with a sprinkling of Samoan characters, quotes and scenes. It wasn’t a ripoff of another film or book masquerading as a Samoan movie.  Rather, it is a Samoan story, the heart and soul of the film is Samoan, and that more than any of the many other excellent aspects of this film is what I love the most about The Orator.

One of the greatest contributions this film has made is introducing the Samoan culture and way of life to young Samoans growing up outside of Samoa.  The Orator has sparked a renewed sense of cultural pride in a whole new generation of Samoans as indicated by the number of comments from young Samoan Americans professing their love of their culture and for being Samoans on facebook.  What other book or movie about Samoa can say that?

Fa’amalo Tusi, well done. Like we told you Friday night, you did us so proud.  We also liked your response when asked about the slow pace of the movie, you’re right, it is at the pace of life in Samoa.  We’ve become so accustomed to life in the fast lane and movies that go bang from the word go that we’ve become impatient with movies and scripts that make us wait.  We have to re-learn how to savor people, fai fai malie, folofolo lemu ae aua le so’o ga kolupu pei o se ai u, lol.  I asked you if you’re planning to make more movies in Samoa and in the Samoan language and I really hope that you will. Will there be a sequel to The Orator? For one thing, I’m hoping that you’ll confirm the suspicion that I have about Litia’s father because if I’m reading between the lines correctly then it can only be one person.  So to be continued…hopefully?

Ua Liva Liva Aso…

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We all know THEM.  Hopefully, you’re not one of THEM.  If you are one of THEM then I  feel sorry for you because you really are an idiot!

THEM are those Samoans who less than a year after leaving Samoa for Amelika, Niu Sila, Ausikalia etc can barely speak Samoan anymore.  At least, they do their darnest to make themselves sound like they can’t speak Samoan.  Surely you’ve come across one of THEM at least.  I know a few of them. One of them was a girl from our village, we grew up together, were in the same classes in Samoa until she moved to NZ at the end of our Form 2 year.  Almost a year later, she was back in Samoa for a family thing and she must have had amnesia some time that year because she didn’t remember or understand a word of Samoan anymore.  This was the same girl who was such an aifafasa one used to feel sorry for her.  Kalofae isi mea valea.

THEM are those Samoans who are gone from Samoa for a few months and upon returning to Samoa have been heard to say ” e le masagi i pilikaki,” or some such nonsense.  Yes, there are a few Samoans who grow up and live in Samoa who never ever have to eat pilikaki or who never have to do feaus.  But the ones that I’ve personally heard and witnessed acting like this are the same ones who were grateful when they had pilikaki.  Ia ai laga ua liva liva aso e le’i koe ai i se k-a-e-mu.

THEM are those Samoans who leave Samoa as teens or adults having spoken nothing but Samoan and a little English in our English-only schools, and now can’t even pronounce their own Samoan last name properly.  I kid you not – their own Samoan names!  I can understand forgetting one’s native language when transplanted to a different culture and language as a very young child and you become completely immersed in that other language.  But forgetting that language after speaking it for the first 14, 15, 16 years of your life…I don’t think so.  Most Samoans that come to live in the States, NZ etc live with their Samoans families or stay connected to a Samoan community.  And Samoan is spoken in these homes and communities.  English too but Samoan as well.  Not exactly total immersion in another language.  So the only logical reason for such an adult or a young adult from Samoa to forget how to say their own Samoan name is because he’s a friggin imbecile.

Hubby met such a person today.  Person walks up to hubby and asks hubby if he’s Hawaiian.  Hubby said no, he’s Samoan.  Person then says he’s Samoan too.  Then hubby starts talking to him in Samoan because (according to hubby) person didn’t sound like he was a native English speaker (translation – o le Samoa ga ola i Samoa).  Person then expresses his amazement that hubby speaks such good Samoan and asks hubby for his name and village (still in English).  Hubby responds in Samoan and then asks person for his name and where he comes from in Samoa.  Person replies he’s from ******** Savaii, and that his last name is  ************* all pronounced the way a palagi would say it.  Actually, that’s not fair to palagis because many palagis who live in Samoa for a couple of years pick up the language and the native accent fairly well and are proud of the fact that they can still speak Samoan for years afterwards.  E mimika le palagi pe’a iloa fa’aSamoa ae o le au aifafasa lea e ma i laga gagaga. Come to find out, my brother knows Person.  Person moved to Amelika after finishing high school in Samoa so he was at least 18 ae o lea ua leiloa ka’u loga fa’ai’u Samoa.  Ga’o loka fia pu’a'i lava i aga a gei vale.

Brings to mind the song “Aso Le Mativa” especially the part where the guy reminds his uppity girlfriend of her humble beginnings because she’s conveniently forgotten that he knew and loved her when she was wearing nothing but a kigi kaga for a skirt.  Like the girlfriend, some hamos have conveniently forgotten that there’s always someone who knew them back in da day so where they get off pretending that they don’t know Samoan is beyond me.

Ua kakau oga iai se subcategory o kagaka fa’apea, a le fia Samoa ia ai o se Kaemoa!

Why I Voted For Obama

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Thank goodness the election is over.  I don’t think I could have taken another week of it. I admit, I am a political junkie.  I surfed the net often for political commentaries, news, and everything else that had to do with the election, and yes I did find myself glued to CNN on several occasions:-).  By the way, I thought they did an excellent job covering the election. Their coverage on election night was superb.  I didn’t care about the holograms at all and found them quite annoying and distracting.  But overall, a job well done CNN.  Even our boys were caught up in the excitement and stayed up to watch the election night coverage with me.  I let them stay up even though it was way past their bedtime and it was a school night.  It was a historic election and a great educational opportunity so it was well worth the exception to our bedtime rules.

I’m glad the election is over because I’m fed up with all the negative campaigning.  I’m really sick of hearing about Joe the plumber.   Maybe now that the campaign is over, Joe the plumber can go back to his day job and finally start paying those taxes that he owes.  I’m glad the election is over because we don’t have to see Palin wink, or make idiotic references to ‘Joe six-pack’ and whatever else came out of her mouth.  Oh, and that interview with Katie Couric.  Wow, I don’t like Palin, but I actually felt sorry for her after watching that.  Well, maybe just for a second.  Hey, if you’re going to put yourself out there and run for VP of the country, we do expect you to actually be able to carry on an intelligent dialogue about important issues.   She’s an expert on Russia because on a good day she can see Russia from her window?  She’s a Governor and she’s that clueless?  I mean seriously, she was a contender for vice president??  What the heck?  Talk about S…C…A…R…Y!!!!!!

I voted for Obama.  Why?  Because he made a better case for president than McCain.  Because I feel that a cooler head is better to lead our country out of the mess that we find ourselves in at this time than someone who looks as if they’re going to go off at any minute, and at the slighest provocation.  Because he came across as someone who will think first and will consider every point of view before rushing to a decision.  Because he convinced me that he will listen and take advice on issues that he doesn’t know much about.  He is intelligent.  He is wise enough to acknowledge that others know more about some things than he does and he is willing to listen and learn from them. He articulated his positions intelligently.  He demonstrated poise, wisdom, restraint, and respect.  He was even respectful towards his opponent as evidenced by all three presidential debates.  McCain, on the other hand, came across as rude, condescending, slightly unbalanced, and angry. 

I should point out that I do not agree with all of Obama’s positions but I don’t expect that there ever will be a candidate that I can agree with 100% of the time. 

I voted for Obama because he did NOT have Palin for a running mate.  I understand she appeals to so many others but she definitely does not speak for me.  I’m a woman, a mother, (sometimes a working mother), a moderate, a conservative, a Christian, and a military wife and I can’t find a single thing to like about Sarah Palin. 

I would love to see a woman take the top position in the country someday.  But that woman is definitely not Palin because for one thing, the first woman president of the United States should be intelligent and knowledgeable about more than just hunting moose.  As a woman, I definitely believe that women can govern just as good or even better than men and I’m hopeful that I will live to see the day when the president of the United States is a woman. 

Unfortunately, there is a very real possibility that we’ll see Palin again in 2012! All I can hope for at this point is that the other party will nominate a woman I can vote for, one that is intelligent, is educated about all the different things that affect our country both here at home and abroad, one that has integrity.  One who has respect for all Americans, one who doesn’t try to divide or instill fear and bigotry.  The list goes one but I’ll settle for these to start with:-).

As a military wife, as an American, I honor and respect McCain for his service in the military.  I respect him as a war hero. I owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude as I do for all the men and women of our Armed Forces.  But this service alone doesn’t make him the best person to lead this country at this time. 

I’m neither a Republican nor a Democrat.  I don’t identify myself with a party because there isn’t one party that has all of the values and ideals that I have.   I vote for the candidate, not for a party.  In other words, it is truly the “character of the person” that matters to me, not the color of their skin, gender, or political affiliation.

I mentioned that I’m a Christian.  I’m a conservative in many ways although I’m probably more moderate than many conservatives.  Some would think that that would automatically make me support a Republican candidate.  But I don’t.  Just because a candidate is a Republican that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have the same values I do.  Let’s take family and marriage for one thing.  As conservatives, we talk a lot about the sanctity of marriage.  We admire and applaud strong loving marriages and families.  Now, when I look at the candidates, it is crystal clear to me which one has a healthy, strong, loving, and mutually respectful relationship with his spouse.  You can stand up and preach all you want about your values but let me see you live it. Let’s see you actually practice what you preach and maybe then we’ll believe you.

One more thing, enough already about the ridiculous argument that we would never be talking about wardrobe if it was a man.  Seriously people, how many men on the campaign trail (either this campaign or the ones from previous years) spent over $150 thousand on clothes?  It doesn’t get talked about because it simply doesn’t happen. 

Finally, as a minority, a Samoan, I’m very glad that Obama won.  I think it is a great step for our country.  I didn’t vote for Obama just because he was a black man.  I voted for him because he was the best candidate.  But the fact that he did win and that he is a black man reaffirms to me that this country, even with all our problems, is the best place for my children to live. 

As my 16 year old son said the night of the election, maybe someday there will be a Samoan-American president.  And as I said to him and to my other boys, “Absolutely! Yes, maybe someday there will be a Samoan-American president and maybe that person will be you.”  Why not my son? Why not your daughter or son?  The glass ceiling is no more!