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Samoan Independence to be celebrated
Samoan Independence to be celebrated at Pioneer Stadium
Pioneer Stadium will host the city's Samoan
communities during
celebrations of Samoa Independence Day
on Monday, 5 June, with cultural
performances by church
and school groups throughout the day. Entry
if
free.
Starting at 10am, about 12 groups from all
over the city will take part
in cultural performances,
along with well known musician and singer,
Felise Mikaele
from Samoa, and the Island Fever Band from
Christchurch.
Some of the winners of the Schools Samoan
Speech Competitions would also
feature, and traditional
Samoan food stalls would provide for the
hungry
throngs.
On 1 January, 1962, Western Samoa
became independent of New Zealand. The
national holiday,
however, is marked as Samoa Independence Day on 1
June,
and continues to be celebrated by the Samoan community in
New
Zealand.
New Zealand first occupied what was the
German protectorate of Western
Samoa at the outbreak of
World War I in 1914, and continued to
administer the
islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory
until
1962, when Samoa became the first Pacific nation to
re-establish
independence in the 20th century. Samoa
dropped the "Western" from its
name in 1997.
Tagaloa
Su'a, the chair of the Samoan Council of Chiefs in
Christchurch
said the events were being hosted by the
Council of Chiefs and Mafutaga
o Faife'au (Combined
Church Ministers' Forum).
As was traditional,
Samoans marked such days by thanking God with a
combined
church service at the EFKS church at the corner of
Linwood
Avenue and Dyer's Pass Road on Sunday 4 June,
followed by dancing, music
and food the next day, 5 June,
at Pioneer Stadium, she says.
"Everyone in the city is
welcome. This is not just an occasion for
Samoans but for
our Canterbury brothers and sisters to come and learn
a
little bit more about what makes the Samoan community
as proud and
strong as it is.
"We are a very family
and community-oriented people who continue those
ties in
the communities we migrate to. Hopefully, Christchurch
city
gains from such strength," Tagaloa
says.
ENDS
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