Penina o le Moana: Celebrating Samoan Culture in Dunedin

Penina o le Moana aims to celebrate and promote Samoan culture and language within the Dunedin community.  Our program consists of weekly workshops, leading to a FiaFia night where participants showcase their learning through dance and language, creating a cultural celebration for our wider community.

The Penina o le Moana Komiti is a dedicated group supported by the wider Samoan community. We work closely with our founder, Talai Nabalagi, a proud daughter of Samoa and a passionate advocate for Samoan culture. Talai’s vision is to ensure our aganu’u (customs) and gagana Samoa (language) thrive for future generations.

As a lecturer and Pacific Health academic lead at Otago University, Talai integrates storytelling and traditional knowledge into her teaching, fostering cultural understanding. Through the Penina o le Moana program, she brings this same passion to life for our Samoan youth in Dunedin.

This year, our komiti has prioritised building funding and revenue channels to ensure the sustainability of Penina o le Moana Dance Academy without putting a financial burden on our families and community. We have been successful in securing some local funding and any Boosted funds raised will go towards the shortfall for our non-negotiables:

• Uniforms and Accessories: With our growing group, we need more traditional attire to outfit all our Penina.
• Venue Costs: Hosting the event at a space large enough for our performers, families, and guests.

The Penina o le Moana Siva Samoa programme uses Samoan dance as a tool to increase understanding and everyday use of gagana Samoa for children born in and growing up in Dunedin. The focus of this programme is on Samoan girls as there is an emphasis on cultural practices which are specific for tama'ita'i Samoa and is framed by the Samoan proverb "e au le ina'ilau a tama'ita'i". This programme is a celebration of Samoa women and that to achieve this proverb for Samoa tinā and tama'ita'i living in New Zealand, we must target them at this particular age. Penina o le Moana Siva Samoa programme aims to ensure gagana Samoa and our aganu'u continues to thrive, we have a flourishing Samoa community living in Dunedin who our Penina work hard to put together their showcase for at our annual fiafia night. 

Your support will directly contribute to a successful FiaFia night, celebrating our children’s hard work and promoting the beauty of Samoan culture. This event will foster deeper connections within our community, strengthen the bonds among our Penina, and provide them with a sense of pride and belonging.

We are mindful of economic landscape especially coming into the end of the year, so we are humbly asking for contributions only from those who can afford to give. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference.

Fa'afetai, fa'afetai, fa'afetai tele lava - thank you so much for your generosity 🇼🇸