Ten colleges gear up for Samoa Ne’i Galo Festival

By Deidre Fanene 27 August 2016, 12:00AM

Samoa Ne’i Galo Festival this year will be celebrated together with the Teuila celebration next month.

This was confirmed by the Chair Organising Committee of Samoa Ne’i Galo Papali’i Peone Fuimaono in her interview with the Weekend Observer yesterday afternoon.

“We usually have the festival in May but because of the Festival of Art that was held in Guam this year we then moved the Samoa Ne’i Galo Festival to September,” she said.

“This is a programme put together to promote and revive our traditional arts and customs through the education systems throughout the region.

“The main idea of this festival is focused around the practice of our traditional and customs and a necessary tools for safeguarding and promotion of the Samoan culture.

“It provides a stand for young people to engage in traditional and modern cultural expressions in having respect and understanding of the Samoan culture and it aims to mainstream the Samoan cultural heritage as part of national development activities.

“It is also a strategy to promote cultural understanding and positive engagements between the different colleges in the country.”

Ask about the competing categories Papalii said this year there have been changes in the competing categories for the festival.

“Every year we have a contemporary element in the competition as last year was the swing choir but this year schools will be using school cheers and we will be focusing on the fa’aluma,” she said.

“They will each be competing on four different categories Ma’ulu’ulu (Traditional Dance), Fa’ataupati (Slap Dance), Solo (Dramatic Poetry) and Lape (School Cheer).

Papalii also said that the judges for the competitions have not been finalised yet.

“This is the first time it’s under the Teuila programme and I think it fits here because it is a cultural week and that we can showcase all of these in one week,” she said.

“The theme is still the same, “Samoa Nei Galo”/Lest We Forget”

“The element of the poetry is that we are focusing more on the language the using of the words that we haven’t heard being used for a long time and these 10 colleges will be competing in this as part of the Teuila programme this year.

“Savaii will not be participating this year but they have put in an entry for next year because of the time factor and they need to fundraise as well.

“Everything is going at one time with the literacy week happening as well so they couldn’t commit on both things at one time so that is the reason.

“We are also looking for sponsors to support the festival and hopefully by Friday we will find out the major sponsor for the festival and we haven’t confirmed the prises as well.

“However every year there’s a trophy given to the most respectful college that is one of the most important part of this festival is students competing knowing that this is one of the value of Samoa Nei Galo is respect.

“For now that is our preparations.”

COMPETING SCHOOLS: 

• Maluafou College

• Faleata 

• Avele 

• Anoamaa

• Leulumoega Fou

• Sagaga

• Chanel

• Wesley

• Leififi

• Aleipata

By Deidre Fanene 27 August 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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