Samoa Observer

Miss Samoa Pageant to return for 2022

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Miss Samoa Pageant to return for 2022

By Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi 26 June 2022, 9:32PM

The Miss Samoa Pageant will be back on the podium this year after a two year hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. 

The return of the pageant as the finale of the Teuila Festival in September will see a new Miss Samoa being crowned after two years.

Reigning Miss Samoa and Miss Samoa New Zealand and Miss Pacific Islands, Fonoifafo McFarland-Seumanu is the first crowned Miss Samoa to ever hold the title for more than a year.

Fonoifafo will be crowning a new Miss Samoa New Zealand in the coming weeks ahead of the Miss Samoa Pageant in September, before she flies back home to hand over the Miss Samoa crown which she has held since 2019. 

While it was not possible to get a comment from Fonoifafo on the forthcoming events, she posted on her social media amount saying she is ecstatic to crown the next Miss Samoa, after she had to continue her reign for an unprecedented three-year period. 

Attempts by this newspaper to get a comment from the Miss Samoa Organising Committee were unsuccessful. However, local media had reported confirmation from the Organising Committee that preparations are underway for the pageant to return this year. 

With Samoa's international borders opening up on Monday 1 August and the main festivities of Samoa's 60th Independence Anniversary celebrations to taking place in September, it is expected that this year's Teuila Festival will draw Samoa's diaspora to the motherland and help extend the peak-tourist season as a getaway from New Zealand and Australia's cold winter weather. 

The Teuila Festival had been cancelled for two years (2020-2021) due to COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown. In 2020, the Teuila Festival was celebrated entirely online but last year's event had some outdoor programmes. 

The festival is considered one of South Pacific's most significant cultural festivals, with many activities and shows held across the country, particularly in Apia.

The Independence Committee also announced that the main festivities for this year's 60th Independence Anniversary Independence will take place during the Teuila Festival in September. 

The return of one of Samoa's traditional games, the Fautasi race is also expected to take place again during the Teuila Festival this year. 

By Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi 26 June 2022, 9:32PM
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