Poetry has always been an art that expresses the writer’s thoughts with Brown Girl Woke (BGW) hosting an Open Mic event for those quick-witted and with eloquent tongues. 

Maluseu Doris Tulifau, the founder of the non-profit BGW who started this event in 2018, said she has seen the talent unfold from within Samoa over the last five years.

“We have been running open mics at USP since 2018 with Ronna Lee," she said. "We are thankful for the partnership that we can have safe spaces for youth to speak about gender-based violence.

“We do this every October for domestic violence awareness month and April for sexual assault awareness month. We are thankful for Daisy speaking as a professional slam poet to come back home to do workshops with us to develop our youth voices. 

“With Daisy, she plans to keep coming to grow poetry slam poets and bring them over to New Zealand for competitions. We are also working with Mila books to get these poems published in BGW's first book of our stories.”

Ioane Otineru, 22, of Vaitele-uta is a hidden talent that the spotlight fell on that night and is someone who the BGW platform hopes to attract so there can be more youth voices. 

He took to the stage and blew everyone away with his masterful piece on rhyme, cheek and delicate wordplay, capturing the essence of domestic violence in the setting of one's home. Not only did he walk away with a cash prize of SAT$500, but also with everyone’s hearts after a powerful delivery of his poem titled, “What about in One’s Home”. Here is the full poem in full. 

WHAT ABOUT IN ONE'S HOME 

In the depths of this poem, darkness may unfold,

A tale of pain and struggle, so be forewarned, be bold.

Domestic violence's harsh reality we shall explore,

For those who've walked this path, it may hit the core.

Every June the 1st we celebrate our country's independence

Independence from colonialism and despotism of years being sentenced

Independence from suppression, Independence from overseas cruel

Independence from foreign powers

No more of us being verbally and physically ridiculed 

Well, that's what we believe

Yes we're now independent from tyrannical rule and foreign cruel

But what about in one's home,

What about in one's home where mama and the kids are forlorn 

Cause daddy is an abuser, 

When problems come, mama is the accused and he is the accuser 

A relationship that was born out of love with him having to pursue her

Yet now this once beautiful empire has fallen because he kept on misusing her 

Now the kids grow up thinking that this is what love is, since of what's being shown in the four walls of their home 

Daddy be implementing this curse of toxicity into their bones believing that they do share the same chromosomes after all 

That they ARE their parent's kids and the kids ARE the product of the parent

Now they've grown old and strong while lacking accountability and transparen-cy  

To see that their actions and them are in the wrong 

And for them not to sing the same tune and song 

That their father embedded in them which they now think it's okay to carry on 

Well, Is it? Is it okay to carry on?

Is it okay to become the same monster you're always scared of?

Is it okay to become the nightmare that always haunts your mom?

Is it okay to become EVERYTHING you cried out to God to rescue you from?

Is it?

Look at your mother, what do you see? 

Surely you see a woman who's alive yet she struggles to even breathe 

With all the emotions waging war in herself like Israel and Palestine 

Unlike a loved household mother, her feet are far from the shallow part of a stability sea

But she's drowning in a lot of mental debt hoping someone brings her liberty

To your father

Never knew that you sir are a painter but I believe that your wife must be your favourite painting

Your brush strokes be different at times yet the result is never unchanging

Walking around thinking you're the epitome of what you call a man

Nah, you're just scared when your wife questions your command 

You're just scared when she voices her opinions or even taking a stand 

On her morals that you feel degenerated as a man 

So you give her a kick, elbow or any usage of your hands

How many of our ancestors shed their blood for ALL of us to be liberated 

Just for them to have some of their lineage beaten down and devastated 

From our own hands, our own flesh and blood

Who thinks it's okay for some to be embezzled and unloved 

Every June the 1st, we celebrate our country's independence

Independence from colonialism and despotism of years being sentenced

Yes we're now independent from tyrannical rule and foreign cruel

But what about in one's home

But what about in one's home