Performing arts and creative actions to end violence against women and girls.

Lagi Pula a 56-year-old mother in Satitoa Aleipata believes that performing arts has always been a traditional platform of communication to transpire messages and lessons that drive social change and reinforces unity.

“Performing arts is even more exhilarating because it accentuates our insights of issues and our natural creativity to address these issues, through the art of song and dance,” she added.

Satitoa, a village situated around the east coast of Upolu with over 500 residents, is one of the eight villages working with the Samoa Victim Support Group in the ‘My Village, My Pride’ advocacy campaign to mobilize the creative sector and traditional institutions for ending domestic violence and Intimate partner violence. This campaign brings the church and traditional leaders, youth and women to lead and take courageous and creative actions to end domestic and intimate partner violence.

It was like any other celebratory event of songs and dances for Satitoa, except for this event on the last weekend of July, it was about a village uniting to end domestic violence and intimate partner violence.

It was a full house, honoured with the presence of church leaders, traditional leaders, women - young and old, the youth and children. This audience was truly captivated by contemporary dances and the performance of traditional folklores through dance and songs. But through these performances was the key message, My Village, My Pride and it is their pride as residents to ensure that Satitoa is a village where every woman is respected, is safe, is empowered and protected from all forms of violence.

It is believed that traditional Samoan culture supports male respect for women and girls. However, Samoan society has been changing, which has created another reality that legitimizes violence as traditional values give way. Despite this, there is very little discussion about Samoan culture and what it has to offer for respect for women and girls in families and intimate relationships. Often “culture” itself is attributed as a factor of violence. Using our cultural traditional arts as a medium to discuss sensitive issues such as gender-based violence is community-oriented and appropriate. 

The campaign informs the magnitude of the issue through the key messages including; : domestic and intimate partner violence is a widespread, persistent and devastating reality in the country but this is not Samoan culture, women and girls are cherished members of the Samoan society and they are not to be subjected to physical or sexual violence and it is our responsibility to stop it; Samoan tradition teaches boys and men to respect women and girls, not to kill or abuse them.

The Campaigns encourage ‘new thinking’ to use traditional values to prevent domestic and intimate partner violence and must call on everyone to stand with domestic and intimate partner violence survivors.

The Satitoa event programme included a debate on the topic that Women is the lifeline of a Family, Women's and Youth Performing Arts Competition, based on the different artefacts from Satitoa that either address violence or promotes peace and pride in one’s community.

The Spotlight Initiative Samoa - Victim Support Group Advocacy Campaign on “Mobilizing Creative Sector and Traditional Institutions For Ending Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence" is led by UNESCO with the support of the Resident Coordinators Office, the UN Women and the UNDP.

About the Spotlight Initiative Programme:

The Spotlight Initiative is a global, multi-year partnership between the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

Launched with a seed funding commitment of €500 million from the European Union, the Pacific region has one regional programme and four country programmes of which Samoa is one of them that has received USD 4.3 million under the Spotlight Initiative’s €50 million envelope for the Pacific region. The Spotlight Initiative's focus for the Pacific Region, including Samoa, is Domestic Violence (DV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

The Spotlight Initiative emphasizes the role, leadership and engagement of civil society organisations to leverage the government ongoing efforts in soliciting people’s commitment to addressing DV/IPV.

The overall coordination, monitoring and reporting and communications and advocacy of the Spotlight Initiative programmes are the roles vested with the UN Resident Coordinators Office and it is implemented by five of the UN agencies including the UN Women as the Technical Lead, the UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and UNFPA.