If you’re keen to get immersed in some Pasifika films, workshops, night markets and more, chuck a reminder on to head to this festival returning to Auckland in July.
Whau Pasifika is seven days of Pasifika culture, creativity, and community which the whole whanau can partake in. The week-long festivities kick off on Saturday, July 1st, with events taking place daily until Friday, July 7th.
The week will finish with a night market set up at New Lynn community centre where you’ll be able to snag some mean local kai and support Kiwi weavers and makers.
Before that though, there’s plenty of awesome stuff going on. For the young ones, 84-year-old Samoan artist Pusi Vaele Urale will be reading children’s books full of Pacific stories. Urale is a school teacher who turned into a painter after retiring at the age of 50.
There will also be Poly Workshops taking place at the Avondale and New Lynn community centres on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Workshops on dance and movement, craft and arts, hair braising, siva afi (fire dancing), spoken word and storytelling, and growing and reusing food are among the 17 on offer.
Wednesday night will see students from local schools partaking in organised debates about the big (or small) issues for Pasifika families. If there’s an issue you are interested in, you can head to the Whau Pasfikia website to submit a topic.
Pasifika films, short and long, will be playing for 12 hours straight on the Thursday, from 9 AM to 9 PM. That’s right, it’s a PolyFilm Marathon. Screenings include a ‘Moana’ singalong, ‘Red, White & Brass’, and the award-winning short film ‘O Tamaiti’.
Honestly, can’t go wrong heading to any of these days and getting amongst it but catch me smacking back a mean feed at the night markets. For more details, you can head to the Whau Pasifika website.
