#PasifikaAuthors – -MALAGA-

Tama Sāmoa Project 2021

The contributing authors for the Tama Sāmoa Project from top left corner 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.*

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. A space created for fourteen Samoan male students and educators to share their own boys-to-men stories, lessons and journeys to help today’s tama Sāmoa, our tama Pasifika, to be better understood and supported in succeeding as themselves.

Co-author, Mani Malaeulu explains the power and beauty of the stories written for the Tama Sāmoa Project in his introduction from the book –

In my role as a mentor, coach and facilitator in high schools and businesses, I have met some amazing tama Pasifika. Many have talked to me about being proud of their Pacific cultures, their duties and responsibilities as growing young men and even as fully grown men. But I have also heard stories from our tama Pasifika about not being fully supported – not feeling clever enough, not knowing how to talk, having anxiety and fears about not being ‘man’ enough.

So many tama Sāmoa I have met over the years struggle with finding real belonging and acceptance as they physically, mentally and spiritually chop and change themselves to fit into the worlds around them. This has sadly become the norm for some of our tamaiti and research supports that this has a major impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our boys and men – who are left asking, what is wrong with me? When will I ever be enough?

I sometimes imagine what life would be like if we were all embraced as ourselves, as who we are in all the worlds we live in because I believe once fully harnessed, being a tama Sāmoa, tama Pasifika, can be a powerful anchor in the storms we face. Year after year with students and clients I am blessed to witness what happens when we know who we are, own who we are and stand in our Pasifika potential – we are unstoppable, a message that has been captured in the courageous stories of the Tama Sāmoa Project.

The Samoan boys-to-men stories that follow give us an insight into the real-life experiences that have shaped the contributing authors’ ways of thinking, living and being. They share their challenges and successes, as well as everything in between. They also give us real lessons and solutions on how to better support our tama Sāmoa in succeeding proudly as Pasifika, while reminding us that it is possible to do it our way, the Pasifika way.

Ultimately, these stories give me real hope for the new tama Sāmoa code that so many of us have been calling for. They highlight the fact that when you succeed, we all succeed. More importantly, they tell us that when we fall it is through real talanoa, through our stories that we can get back up again – because this is where you will find our strength and true Islander resilience.

Ia manuia lou malaga tama Sāmoa ma tama Pasifika,

Mani Malaeulu

Tāma Samoa will be released on 25th Sept 2021 & will be available from:
*Within New Zealand & Australia – Instore and online from Lagi Routes From the Pacific Store
*Schools & Libraries – From Wheelers Books
*Outside of New Zealand – Paperback and Ebook via Amazon.com
*Ebook – Available via Amazon Kindle & Nook
*Retailers and Organisations – Contact us via milasbks@gmail.com

#TamaSāmoa #TamaSāmoaProject2021
#SaveTheDate #25.09.21 #OurStories
#OurTamaPasifika #FaafetaiLavaCreativeNewZealand

Teine Sāmoa (ebook) Lessons

How did you publish Teine Sāmoa? What steps did you take? What did you learn and what are your next steps? These are some of the questions I have been messaged, emailed and asked from teachers, students and supporters of my recent ebook, Teine Sāmoa. And because sharing our learning for others to win is just the island way #MorePasifikaAuthorsNeeded here are my top 5 lessons from Teine Sāmoa so far –

Lesona 1: Just write and write everyday.

Since last year, I had heard this first lesson about 10 times by different experienced authors and editors – Just start. Just write. Write Everyday.

My main reasons for not writing everyday (besides denying I was an author in the first place #AnotherLongStory) used to be – Why should I write? Write about what? And when do I write? With what time?

But since I’ve started not thinking about it and just doing it, I’ve actually found huge benefits for writing everyday and it’s helped me to answer these initial queries #Excuses I had above.

So here’s what I’ve realised and why I should write everyday –

Mila’s Next Top Model: ‘Teine Sāmoa’ Book Cover Model WANTED!

Are you the book cover model for our next tusi faitau, Teine Sāmoa?

Teine Sāmoa, is a young adult fiction e-book which follows 4 junior high school students on their journey of cultural identity and discovery as Teine Sāmoa.

The Brown Brick Road…

Growing up I was never an avid reader. I always remember being told to read when there was nothing else to do. After homework, ‘alu faitau le tusi’. Sitting in front of the television, ‘alu faitau le tusi’. When asking to go to a party at College, ‘alu faitau le tusi’ #TrueStory.

So it was no surprise that my sister and I had read and re-read the one pile of school books that were accidentally not returned to school and the second hand books my parents had collected for us when we were younger.

Then one day we found dad wiping down a surprise he had for us with a cloth in the back sunroom, where all the books in the house lived. Hearing us enter he proudly stepped back revealing the Britannica Encyclopedia set he had purchased from the door to door salesman #IMissThe90s.

He was so excited as he talked about how we could now read all 26 volumes and will never run out of books to read. My dad was #NoJoke.

The next book that stands out in my reading history was the Tusi Paia, the Sāmoan bible. We had joined the Sāmoan Methodist Church at the time and it was an automatic requirement, especially with bible passages to read and memorise for White Sundays.

At school, my teacher replaced my dad as the person telling me to read a book. The only difference was that the teacher would recommend or select books for me most of the time. I remember reading about Sally going on picnics and Timmy going on family holidays – as well as a long list of characters and storylines that I didn’t necessarily relate to but helped me to acquire information to complete tasks and understand the palagi world I lived in.

So it would be safe to say that for most of my childhood I read because I had to and not necessarily because I wanted to.

Then one fateful night, I remember going through the ‘biggish’ books my older sister was bringing home from her Bursary English class to read and study – especially since the Britannica Encyclopedia set was not really doing it for me anymore.

Then a book caught my eye. It was different. The cover featured two boys, primary aged sitting on a bench. They were Māori because they looked like some of my Māori friends I had grown up with and the author’s name was definitely Māori. I remember sounding it out, ‘Wi-ti … Ihi-mae-ra’. It was called the, The New Net Goes Fishing.

Then I started to read the stories inside. My eyes widened. Connections fired off in my brain. The New Net had gone Fishing and it had caught me.