It’s been 20 years since business man, Leota Lene Leota started taking young street vendors under his wing by introducing them to the art of Siva Afi. Under his guidance and support, Leota has been successful where many have failed in providing street vendors a way out of poverty by unlocking their hidden potential and opening the door to a world of opportunities.
“We’ve been doing this work for 20 years” said Leota. “We formed this group starting with the young street vendors. That’s how we started way back in 2002. Some of those kids, not only perform siva afi they work in the business after I taught them how to do screen printing and commercial signage.”
Undergoing Siva Afi training is not just about performing and Leota believes in pushing his students to their limits as a way to foster discipline and commitment to the art form.
“It takes discipline and confidence to be the best and perform at the international level. I remember when we took the first group of dancers to Hong Kong in 2008 on a six month contract. To this day, they are still there working which means they are focused and know how to behave as representatives of Samoa. That’s something I’m very proud of.”
“We always remind our kids that when you get these kinds of opportunities; you have to use it well and not muck around. I think it’s very important for our fire dancers and our communities to be mindful of this when an opportunity arises that can change their lives positively.”
With Samoa’s borders now officially opened, Leota is looking forward to marking a major milestone with the upcoming 20th Siva Afi International Competition in November. In the lead up to the competition, part of the celebrations include a road show series of siva afi workshops in select village communities to promote the performance art to young children and youth in the rural areas.
“We’ve always held workshops over the last 20 years and it’s mainly the kids in the town area who benefit but the kids in the village rarely get this chance to learn about fire dance. Fire dancing has become a pathway for these kids who started out young and now have work opportunities overseas in places like Hong Kong and America.”
“We want the same for other children around Samoa. Bringing these workshops to the rural villages is the first step and it’s not easy to take the group around the country. We couldn’t do it without the sponsorship of local businesses who understand and support what we are trying to do. ”
Over the years Leota has noticed how Siva Afi has evolved with the influence of more contemporary dance styles which the young dancers have blended in to their routines. Leota views this development as positive saying he is very impressed with this new choreography driven by the young people.
“Before we only did traditional moves but you see now with the kids knowledge and also the style its completely different. They have added new styles to it like the cheerleader and martial art movement but we still keep the culture by performing traditional Samoa moves and blend in these new dance styles. I’m very impressed and it’s more exciting for everyone to watch.”
After almost three years of uncertainty and stagnation due to the Covid 19 Pandemic, the upcoming international competition will be extra special not only for the competitors but also for Samoa, a country coming out of isolation and waking up to a new era in a post covid world. With the major announcement that the prize money has increased to SAT$20,000 for the first place winner, Leota believes the competitors won’t be coming for a vacation, instead they will be bringing the heat.
“Every year since we have been running the international competition, the champion has always received $3000 but this year because of our 20th anniversary we will raise that prize money to SAT $20,000. This is a huge undertaking for us, which is why I appreciate the help from our friends in the business community who believe in what we do and provided help with sponsorship.”
After two decades of keeping the art of Siva Afi alive in young people, Leota looks to inspire the next generation of fire dancers and is focusing on reaching young children in the rural communities in the hopes that they will come to view Siva Afi as more than just entertainment but as another option to making a livelihood.
“Fireknife dancing isn’t just about dancing, you will learn life skills that will make you successful in every part of your life. There are a lot of young boys who came through Siva Afi and have gone on to earn contracts that help support their families in Samoa.”
“A lot of parents want their children to get a good education or do well at sports which are good priorities. One of the things that is important to me is I want to encourage children to do siva afi because I always believe it is a rewarding career path; not only can they earn an income and travel the world but it connects them to their culture.”
“After our siva afi workshop in the district of Palauli 1, Savaii in July, we received great feedback from the chiefs who want us to return and carry out the road show again. Seeing the kids light up during the workshop and being amazed at our show was very rewarding and who knows? perhaps our next Siva Afi champion will come out of Savaii.”
*This content is sponsored by Fexco Samoa’s No1 Currency and Western Union.
Fine Mat Creative is a collective of freelance content creators
