From Melbourne to the main stage: Pacific artists celebrate a decade of storytelling

In Melbourne’s west, where Pacific families have built new homes and new futures, a creative movement has been quietly shaping Australia’s arts scene.

This month, the Pacific Island Creative Arts Australia (PICAA) is celebrating 10 years of telling Pasifika stories, not from the margins but from centre stage.

For Lelili’o Steve Tafe, a Sāmoan singer-songwriter and PICAA Music and Dance Director, the milestone achievement is more than an anniversary.

It is proof of what Pacific community passion can build. "We're super grateful to come this far,” Lelili’o told Lesa Lani Alo on PMN Sāmoa. “It took a while [for it] to sink in, the fact that we've come this far and so fast too.".

Founded in 2016, PICAA was created to provide a pathway for Pacific arts to thrive in Australia.

A decade on, it has become one of Melbourne’s leading Pasifika arts organisations, producing original theatre, developing choirs, mentoring young creatives, and placing Pacific stories on some of Australia’s most respected stages.

The 10-year milestone was marked at the Mua Festival in St Albans with two sold out nights of choral and theatre performances, a powerful signal organisers say of the appetite for Pacific-led storytelling.

Under the leadership of Dr Rita Seumanutafa-Palala managing director, Fulisia Asalemo Tofete theatre director, Malagama’ali’i Gina Tafea cultural arts director, and Lelili’o himself, PICAA has built a strong creative foundation grounded in culture.

This includes the Pasefika Vitoria Choir, and workshops such as the Tuiga Program.

Watch Lelili’o Steve Tafea’s full interview below.

The Pasefika Vitoria Choir has become a flagship ensemble, performing at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

The choir has also provided choral backing vocals for Australian ARIA-nominated artist Mo’ju (formerly Mojo Juju) during the launch of the Native Tongue album at the Arts Centre Melbourne.

The collaboration has brought indigenous and Pacific voices together in solidarity.

But PICAA’s impact runs deeper than stages and spotlights. In 2017, the organisation premiered ReHavaiki, recognised as Australia’s first Pacific Island musical production, a landmark moment for representation in mainstream theatre.

A year earlier, it debuted Amataga o le Alofa, a contemporary work rooted in Sāmoan creation stories, weaving ancestral narratives into modern performance.

Through initiatives like the Tuiga Program and Spirit of Pasefika, which mobilised over 50 performers for major events like Melbourne’s Moomba Festival Parade, PICAA has invested in cultural education and youth development.

Many of the young people who first joined as children are still involved today, a living legacy of the organisation’s work.

"My hope is that we're still around for another 10 years, doing what we love and hoping that the next generation of PICAA leaders will come through and continue the legacy for our people,” Lelili’o

“We're super grateful to come this far. It took a while [for it] to sink in, the fact that we've come this far and so fast too,” Lelili’o said.

“That's acknowledging how blessed we are to have a Pasifika community that loves doing what we love through the creative arts platform. We're definitely blessed, grateful and feeling really super excited for what's to come.”

For Pacific communities in Australia, especially in Melbourne’s west, PICAA has become more than an arts collective. It is a cultural anchor, a place where language, song, dance, and identity are nurtured and celebrated.

At a time when representation still matters deeply for diaspora communities, PICAA’s decade of creativity stands as a reminder: Pacific stories belong on big stages. Pacific voices deserve to be heard. And when communities invest in their own talent, the results can echo far beyond their neighbourhoods.

Ten years on, PICAA is not just marking time, it is building momentum. And for the Pasifika creatives coming through its ranks, the next act is only just beginning.

For more information on PICAA, visit their website.