A group of young Samoans raised overseas met with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata‘afa this week in a heartfelt talanoa that bridged generations, identity, and leadership.
The gathering was part of the Taiala Youth Exchange Program, a cultural leadership initiative led by Brown Girl Woke and Samoan Solutions, which brought together seven youth from the diaspora to reconnect with Fa‘aSamoa through service, storytelling, and deep dialogue.
The meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in Apia on 10 April. Jocelynette Leilua, Program Manager for Brown Girl Woke, opened the session with a formal welcome in Samoan before the youth introduced themselves and shared their reasons for joining the program. They were met with warm encouragement and candid reflections from the Prime Minister.
Fiame spoke openly about her journey into politics, saying it was not her family name that pushed her into leadership, but the women who raised her. She described her mother, aunties, and other women in her village—midwives, teachers, and community leaders—as the real force behind her early sense of service.
“I always had an interest in politics,” she said.
“But things happened faster than I expected. When my father passed away, I received my matai title at 20, and everything shifted.”
When asked about mental health, the Prime Minister acknowledged the limited resources in Samoa and the cultural silence that often surrounds the topic. She spoke about her own efforts to stay grounded—by being in nature, praying, and keeping close to positive people.
Reflecting on her time as Minister of Education, Fiame pointed to the post-cyclone recovery years as some of her most meaningful. “We had to redesign the curriculum to support bilingual learning—keeping Samoan language strong while teaching English,” she said.
The discussion turned emotional when the Prime Minister was asked what message she had for diaspora youth searching for identity.
“You can’t make up identity—it has to be lived,” she said. “But you can build it. If our young people are supported where they are, they’ll carry Samoa with them. If not, we need to welcome them back with open arms and strong culture.”
That message sits at the core of the Taiala program. For Maluseu Doris Tulifau, founder of Brown Girl Woke, the exchange is about much more than visiting Samoa—it’s about returning with purpose.
“Coming home isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary,” she said. “Taiala helps us ground our experiences in Fa‘aSamoa, and give back in a way that honours both where we come from and what we’ve learned.”
Epi Leone Aumavae, founder of Samoan Solutions and coordinator of the Taiala Program, shared a similar sentiment. “We come back to Samoa because this is where we’re reminded who we are. For so many diaspora youth, that connection has been broken or never fully formed. This exchange gives them a path—not just to visit, but to belong.”
Before leaving, the Prime Minister offered the youth one final thought –
“E matitiva fa‘afesaga‘i.” Even in poverty, she said, “be gracious, be generous, and stay connected to others.”
She reminded them that poverty isn’t just financial—it can be emotional and spiritual too. And in those moments, community and compassion matter most.
For the youth, Taiala was more than an exchange. It was a return to something many of them had never fully known—a place, a culture, and a calling that now belongs to them.
