Monday, 21 July 2008
The biggest event American Samoa has ever staged, is underway. The 10th Pacific Festival of the Arts, celebrates the culture and traditions of the Pacific island nations and territories, as the event has done for decades. But the festival is also an assertion of the Pacific way during a period of unprecedented global change.
It’s quite interesting to come here and witness this in a territory that is so obviously influenced and connected with the United States. One acquaintance in Apia referred to American Samoa as beyond the edge of the “real” Pacific.
Read More
Sunday, 20 July 2008
I met a true champion in Samoa. Ele Opelonge – a 23 year old that will carry the weight of the nation on her very strong shoulders at the Beijing Olympics.
Ele is a weight lifter. She only took up the sport three years ago and is now ranked 4th in the world in her division – superweight. That’s an incredible achievement that would usually take twice as long to reach.
Read More
Sunday, 20 July 2008
I have been in Samoa for five days and only now am I sitting down write this blog. I’ve been too busy just being here to waste a second of it in front of the laptop. It’s been almost a year since I came here and fell in love with this special part of the Pacific. Yes, there’s something about Samoa.
I had so much to revisit in between the time spent doing stories for our new program Pacific Pulse. My friend Freddie wanted to catch up for lunch, but rather than sit in a cafe in Apia, it was lunch on the road, with a takeaway fisherman’s basket in my lap and an ever changing view as we rolled through villages stopping to take in the salt water, the fresh water and the parts where they came together. Stunning!
Read More
