Race Relations
Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa – Samoan Language Week
‘Ole’ā ‘āmataina le Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa mai le Aso Sa 27 Me e o’o i le Aso To’ona’i 2 o Iuni. ‘O le sini mo lenei tausaga e fa’aigoaina “ ‘O le Vāfealoa’i” “Vāfealoa’i lelei ma le Mālosi”.
‘O le tausaga e 2012 ‘o le fa’amanatuina fo’i lea o le 50 o tausaga talu ona tuto’atasi Sāmoa ma le fa’aauauina pea o le mafutaga ma Sāmoa e ‘auala atu i le sainiga o le Feagaiga Fa’auō. ‘O nei fa’amanatuga e lua ‘ole’ā faia lea i le 2012 ma e fa’apito lava i le Aso na Tuto’atasi ai Sāmoa, aso 1 Iuni ma le sainiga o le Feagaiga Fa’auō i le aso 1 o ‘Aukuso. Va’ai i le ‘upega o feso’ota’iga o le Sāmoa 2012.
Sa muamua lava ona fa’alauiloa le Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa e le Radio Niu FM, ‘o se vaega o matā’upu fa’asolo o le vaiaso i gagana a le Pasefika ma aga’i atu ai i le Vaiaso o le Gagana Māori. Mai le 2007 na ‘āmata ai ona fa’alauiloaina i ā’oga e le ‘Asosi mo le A’oa’oina o le Gagana Sāmoa i Aotearoa, FAGASA Inc , (Fa’alāpotopotoga mo le A’oa’oina o le Gagana Sāmoa i Aotearoa). Mai le 2009 sa faipa’aga ai le FAGASA ma le Komisi o Āiā Tatau ma isi fa’alāpotopotoga ‘ina ‘ia fa’alauteleina ai le vaiaso i le tele o isi komiuniti i Niu Sila. ‘Ua fa’amanatuina nei le vaiaso o le gagana i Niu Sila, ‘Ausetālia ma le Iunaite Setete o ‘Amerika fa’apea fo’i ma komiuniti o tagata Sāmoa i le lalolagi lautele
‘Ua iai fo’i se itūlau e lagoalgoina tele i le face book (very active Facebook page ) mo le Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa ma e sili atu i le 6,500 i latou ‘olo’o fa’aaogāina i le lalolagi ‘ātoa .
‘O sini o le Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa 2012 e aofia ai le:
- Fa’ailogaina le gagana Sāmoa ma ana aganu’u i Niu Sila ma le lalolagi ‘ātoa
- Fa’alauiloa ma lagolagoina le a’oa’oga ma le a’oa’oina o le Gagana Sāmoa
- Fa’alauiloa ai o le gagana Sāmoa o se tasi lea o gagana ‘olo’o fa’aaogaina tele i totonu o Niu Sila
- Fa’alauiloa le fa’aaogāga o le gagana Sāmoa i soo se si’osi’omaga i tulaga fa’aaloalo i le vā ma tagata ta’ito’atasi – i mafutaga lelei ma le mālolosi
- Fa’alauiloa ma lagolagoina tapenaga fa’atina’e e tumau ma ola ai le maitauina, a’oa’oina ma le fa’aaogāina o le gagana Sāmoa i totonu o ‘āiga, i ā’oga, i gāluega, i totonu o le mālō, i tala tūsia, i ta’aloga, i tusigaata, i totonu o le ‘ekālēsia ma le komiuniti.
‘O pa’aga o le Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa mo le 2012 ‘ua aofia ai le FAGASA, ‘o le Komisi o Āiā Tatau, ‘o le Komisi o le Atunu’u ‘Ātoa a le UNESCO, ma le Matāgāluega o Tagata Atumotu.
‘O ‘āiga, ‘ofisa tutotonu o ā’oga ’āmata, ‘o ā’oga ma nofoaga e fai ai ā’oga maualuluga, matāgāluega a le mālō, fono a nu’u, falefaitautusi, pule o gāluega ma iuni, tagata tusitala, ‘ekālēsia ma kulupu o komiuniti ‘ua fa’amālosia ‘uma ‘ina ‘ia latou faia fa’agaoioiga e lagolago ai le Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa. E fa’amalosi ma vala’au atu ‘ia lesitala lau tapenaga i lou imeli mai i le nzdiversity@hrc.co.nz ‘ina ‘ia mafai ai ona fa’asalalau i le ‘upega o feso’ota’iga ma fa’alauiloa o se vaega o fa’agaoioiga o le vaiaso.
E sili atu i le 130,000 tagata Sāmoa i Niu Sila. ‘O le komiuniti Sāmoa e lona fa ai lea o komiuniti pito i to’atele i tua mai o tagata ‘Europa Niu Sila (2,381,000), Māori (565,000), ma Saina (147,000). ‘O le gagana Sāmoa ‘o le gagana lona tolu e pito sili ona fa’aaogāina i Niu Sila i tua mai o le fa’aperetānia ma le fa’amāori.
‘O le Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa ‘o se avanoa lea e fa’amanatu ai le gagana Sāmoa i Niu Sila, ma ‘ia ‘amana’ia ai le gagana ma le aganu’u a tagata Sāmoa Niu Sila, ma fausia ai so’otaga i le vā o aganu’u ma tu, ma ‘ia mautinoa ai le fa’aauau o le fa’aaogāina o le gagana i Niu Sila ‘ātoa i le lumanai.
‘O le Komisi o Āiā Tatau ma le FAGASA Inc ma a lā pa’aga ‘ole’ā fa’atulagaina mea e fai ma fa’agaoioiga e ‘auala atu i le NZ Diversity Action Programme Samoan Language Week website, Samoan Language Week Facebook page and Sāmoa 2012.
Samoan Language Week will take place from Sunday 27 May to Saturday 2 June. This year’s theme is “O le Vāfealoa’i” “Strong and Respectful Relationships”.
2012 is also the 50th anniversary of Samoa Independence and New Zealand’s continuing relations with Samoa through the signing of the Treaty of Friendship. Both these anniversaries will be celebrated throughout 2012 with particular attention on Samoa Independence Day 1 June and the signing of the Treaty of Friendship 1 August. See the Samoa 2012 website.
Samoan Language Week was first promoted by Radio Niu FM as part of a series of Pacific language weeks leading up to Māori Language Week. Since 2007 it has been promoted in schools by the Association for the Teaching of Samoa in Aotearoa, FAGASA Inc , Faalapotopotonga mo le Aoaoina o le Gagana Samoa i Aotearoa. From 2009 FAGASA and the Human Rights Commission have partnered with other organisations to extend the week to the wider New Zealand community. The language week is now celebrated in NZ, Australia and the USA as well as Samoan communities worldwide.
Samoan Language Week also has a very active Facebook page with over 6, 500 participants worldwide.
The aims of Samoan Language Week 2012 are to:
- Celebrate the Samoan language and culture in New Zealand and globally
- Promote the teaching and learning of the Samoan language
- Raise awareness of the Samoan language as one of the most widely spoken languages in New Zealand
- Promote the use of the Samoan language in every environment respecting each other’s situation – strong and respectful relationships
- Promote initiatives to maintain and grow the recognition, learning and use of the Samoan language in the home, in education, at work, in government, in the media, in sport, in the arts, in the church and in the community.
Samoan Language week partners for 2012 include FAGASA, the Human Rights Commission, the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs.
Families, early childhood centres, schools and tertiary education institutions, government departments, city councils, libraries, employers and unions, media, churches and community groups are all encouraged to undertake activities in support of Samoan Language Week. You are invited to register your activity by emailing nzdiversity@hrc.co.nz so that it can be published on the website and promoted as part of the week’s activities.
There are over 130,000 Samoan New Zealanders. The Samoan community is the fourth largest ethnic community after NZ Europeans (2,381,000), Māori (565,000), and Chinese (147,000). The Samoan language is the third most commonly spoken language in New Zealand after English and Māori.
Samoan Language Week is an opportunity to celebrate the Samoan language in New Zealand, to recognise the language and culture of Samoan New Zealanders, to build bridges between cultures and to ensure that the language continues to be used widely in New Zealand in the future.
The Human Rights Commission and FAGASA Inc and its partners coordinate events and activities via the NZ Diversity Action Programme Samoan Language Week website, Samoan Language Week Facebook page and Samoa 2012.