Samoan Language Week in 2024 will start on May 26th and finish on June 1st. It celebrates the third most spoken language in New Zealand.
The 2024 theme for Samoa Language Week is ‘Tautua i le alofa, manuia le lumana’i – Serve in love for a blessed future’.
This theme derives from the overarching Language Week Series theme for 2024, ‘Sustainability’.
What does the phrase ‘Tautua i le alofa’ mean? The concept of tautua focuses on the phrase – “Serve in love”. Love is the driving force of service. No matter what service looks like or who is doing it, service is accomplished through the power of love.
The Ministry for Pacific Peoples says this year’s theme was chosen by the community and acknowledges that the maintenance of gagana (language) is achieved with consistent tautua (service) and particularly through the values of alofa (love), fa’aaloalo (respect) and vā fealoa’i (respectful relationships).
Give it a go
Talofa lava (hello): “Tah-law-fah / larva”
Malo (hello / well done): “Mah-law”
Tōfā soifua (goodbye): “Tore-fah / soy-foo-ah”
Niu Sila (New Zealand): “Knee-ew / See-lah”
I am sooo excited.