I spoke to writer and director Fulisia Asalemo Tofete about their preparations for the second MUA Festival and the performances later this month at the Bowery Theatre in Brimbank.
“We chose to call it MUA, a Samoan word with moving forward momentum, or the concept of being in the forefront”.
PICAA is the brainchild of four creative Pasefika people in Melbourne who are keen to use art as a positive community experience connecting Pasefika people, especially young people with their roots and the Victoria community, through music, theatre and creative art.
Dr Rita Seumanutafa-Palala is an ethnomusicologist, and she composes most of the music, Fulisia Asalemo Toefete, a graduate from Drama School in Wellington, writes and directs plays and film, Lelili’o Steve Tafea is also a composer and arranger, and Malagamaali’i Gina Tafea creates traditional costumes like the Samoan ‘tuiga’.
Fulisia Asalemo Tofete told me that a lot of the program in this year’s MUA Festival is a selection of the best pieces written and performed by PICAA Inc over the past 10 years with three new works.
Mo nisi talafou ma ripoti, fa'afofoga i le SBS Samoan i le 'upega tafa'ilagi poo le SBS Radio app, pe asiasi i le Facebook SBS Samoan.
