South Island rangatahi find their Pacific voice through 'Māfana' show

For 65 South Island Pasifika rangatahi, Māfana has been about more than performing on stage.

It has given young Pacific people a space to connect with their cultures across the region and see themselves represented in the arts.

Presented by South Island creative arts company Fua Creative, Māfana was in response to a lack of local platforms for Pacific performers.

Nicole Vaka, Co-founder of Fua, told PMN Tonga that meant the team had to build much of the project themselves.

“We are doing the creative aspect of the show, but we are also doing the facilitation and we are organising…it's the first time we've worked cross-region bringing everything together. ” Vaka says.

“In our regions here, you do everything because the platforms don't exist. So you create the platform, you create the work that goes on the platform, you create everything around the platform too.”

Funded through Le Va, the 15-week initiative used Pacific dance and music to help strengthen cultural identity among local youth.

Students from Marlborough Boys’ College, Nelson College for Girls, Waimea College, Garin College and Motueka High School took part.

Their workshops included the Sāmoan sāsā and Tongan ta'olunga alongside contemporary choreography and original music.

Māfana showcase at the Nelson's Theatre Royal. Photo/Matty Anderson/Facebook

On stage, the rangatahi represented Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, Sāmoa and Tahiti.

They brought traditional and contemporary styles through dance, music and storytelling.

But bringing young people together across the region was not always easy. Facilitators travelled more than two and a half hours each way between Blenheim and Motueka for rehearsals with winter weather and flooding adding to the cost and pressure of the project.

Vaka said those challenges only strengthened the reason for continuing.

“[It] definitely increased cost, as well as those logistical challenges,” she says. “But I think…it really makes the why, your purpose very strong. You stick in there and you keep going and it's a reminder of why we do this. It’s for our young people.”

Students also showcased contemporary movements. Photo/Matty Anderson/Facebook

The project also created a link between generations of Pacific performers.

Filimoe’ulie Fotu-Moala, the lead facilitator, first joined Vaka and her husband Vita’s youth workshops about 10 years ago.

“Through that, I've stuck with them being able to teach programmes in primary schools, develop professionally with dance, music, theatre,” Fotu-Moala also tells PMN Tonga.

“So I think it's been a full circle moment for me being able to now be on board with them with this project, being able to help the youth of Nelson and Marlborough.”

A former Kiribati student also returned as a choreographer, helping lead the cultural dance elements, alongside local and regional artists and guest choreographers from Tāmaki Makaurau.

Kiribati culture on display in the Māfana showcase. Photo/Matty Anderson/Facebook

Vaka says the project would not have happened without support from schools, families and, most importantly, the young people themselves.

"We're really grateful for the support and the belief of the schools...and of course, the families that support their kids to participate," she says.

“But really, this came from the heart of the young people, that they want to have more interaction with young people their age. So to have that experience cross-region is really special for them."

Following performances across Te Tau Ihu, Vaka and Fotu-Moala hope Māfana will lead to more opportunities for Pacific youth to celebrate their cultures, build connections and create their own space in the South Island arts scene.