Future leaders hear from Head of State

The Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, yesterday encouraged young leaders from 18 Pacific countries gathering in Apia for the “Future Leaders of the Pacific” conference.

Held on the Pacific Jewel cruise ship, the conference is looking at issues critical to the Pacific, ahead of the third Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) Conference.

“Last year I came to this challenge of Pacific leadership through the metaphor of the so’ofau,” His Highness Tui Atua told the meeting.

“There I suggested that in today’s world there is a need to learn how to seamlessly join together old and new knowledges, like the joining together of fau timber, literally captured in the word so’ofau. This word is located in the vocabulary and art of Samoa’s traditional house-building guild and the wisdom of their spiritual culture.

“This year I wish to share with you some of my reflections on the Samoan concept “lagimalie” and how its orientation and philosophy might help towards building the new vocabulary and grammar that some of the world’s greatest minds suggest are necessary in order for us to address our biggest crisis to date – the problem of climate change.”

According to the Head of State, the Pacific region holds a large number of the world’s low-lying coral island countries, considered the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

“As the recently passed Palau Declaration on ‘The Ocean’ states the Ocean is both “the lifeblood of our economies and societies” and “crucial to global climatic and environmental stability”.

“Dealing effectively with this reality means that we as Pacific leaders, young and old, need to be actively engaged in the conversation that is driving the search for solutions.

“This means that we need to be informed, that we need to be prepared to do the homework necessary, and that we need to come to the discussion table willing to share and to listen to different points of view without prejudice. It is here at this table that I contend the importance of the principle of lagimalie becomes most pronounced.”

Elaborating on “lagimalie,” His Highness Tui Atua said it is a word not often used in Samoa today.

“It is, I am told, more commonly used in Tongan. In Samoan the word generally means to be in harmony. In the Tagaloa tradition it is a word that originates from the context of its funeral chant.

“That is, after reciting the salutation for each of the nine heavens, if the tulafale or orator of the party making an official ritual presentation gets each salutation right then the official mourners in the fale osilagi (i.e. the house where the corpse and official mourners reside) will respond by saying after each salutation, “lagimalie” or “malie”.

“This indicates that the listeners are pleased by what they have heard; that they are pleased because the recitation is right; and that they are pleased because his version is in line or in harmony with theirs.

“If the orator gets a salutation wrong, however, he then has to run for his life because according to ancient beliefs he imperils by his mistake the journeying of the deceased’s soul through the heavens.

“Therefore, before he even starts the orator must for his own safety identify the fale tapu, i.e. the village’s designated sacred house, because it is only in the fale tapu that he will find sanctuary. Lagimalie can thus be understood for our purposes as relating to the fact of having harmony or a sacred balance between two or more references.

“Implicit in lagimalie are ancient Samoan beliefs in the four harmonies, also described as tapu or sa. That is, the harmony, tapu or sa between man and God, between man and fellow men, between man and cosmos, and man and the environment.

“These harmonies or tapu are central to Samoan indigenous ideas of tua’oi (or sacred boundaries), va tapuia (or sacred space), and even ideas about the ocean itself, for traditionally the Samoan word for ocean was vasa, literally meaning the space (or va) that is sacred (or sa).”

Representing Samoa in the meeting is Felton Pavitt, a Policy Officer for Planning and Urban Management Division. Mr Pavitt hopes to address issues on cultural conservation and preservation.

He said that while there are plans for urban area of Apia to be developed, the city should still have some reflection of Samoan culture and identity.

Participants will spend three days discussing regional issues such as non-communicable diseases, gender equality, climate change and sustainable development.

The conference is being co-organised by the United States Embassies in New Zealand and Samoa in partnership with the East-West Centre in Hawaii. Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Samoa, Peter Ganser also addressed the young people. “If you want to go quickly, go alone,” he reminded. “If you want to go far, go together.”

Mr Ganser said there is a lot of truth in the proverb and at the heart of why such conferences are held.

“As Pacific Island nations we share the same challenges and opportunities,” said Mr Ganser.

“When we face those together, we will all go further.”

Mr Ganser said Pacific island countries and the United States share many common values.

“We treasure family, faith and democracy,” he said. “We all seek a more secure, prosperous and rule based global community.”

“But before we get there we must face some complex challenges…fostering sustainable economic growth, transforming the climate change crisis into a clean energy revolution turning territorial conflicts into regional cooperation and empowering individuals through gains in human rights and political freedom.”

His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese’s paper will be published in full in the Sunday Samoan tomorrow.