Tama Samoa Tama Aotearoa

This project takes the Samoan practice of Fāgogo (storytelling) as a central approach and frames it using the contexts of Talanoa (conversation),Vā (relational space) and photographic self-portraiture. My research questions what is it to be diasporic Samoan in Aotearoa? My own diasporic experiences provide the context and narrative for Fāgogo. My research explores through photographic self-portraiture, how this may challenge and evolve Talanoa and Vā. Through this process, I examine how these Samoan concepts are shaped and understood through my lived experience outside of Samoa and within Aotearoa as part of the diaspora.