MESC Culture Room; 28th August 2020;
Lau susuga I le taitai ole sauniga
To our esteemed partners in the public and private sectors,
Members of the media and our international partners;
It is a pleasure to welcome you all to MESC and to this important Seminar this morning.
As the Government Ministry responsible for culture development, it is key that we collaborate with you all, to drive preservation and safeguarding methods for our cultural heritage.
So much of our intangible cultural heritage and traditional knowledge have been lost to time.
Therefore, it is central that we drive research and engage in conversations like this morning, to foster a better understanding and appreciation of our history and way of life.
The 36 stone adzes in the Museum of Samoa’s collection were gifted from Samoan families and collected from different areas Samoa including the Pulemelei.
It is believed so many more are kept by families and private collections and Museums around the world.
Our role is to collect and research available information on these stone tools, to better understand not only the traditional knowledge around the making of these tools, but more importantly their value in trade and use in building houses, canoes and other wooden items.
This will allow us a better understanding of our way of life and the transformations in Samoa society since.
I wish to thank the National University of Samoa’s Centre for Samoan Studies for your continuous support to the work of the Museum and Culture in general.
Continuing this dialogue with our National University will strengthen dialogue and knowledge to further interpret our cultural heritage for the appreciation of Samoans all over the world.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank you all for your presence here today.
The promotion and safeguarding of our cultural heritage is our collective responsibility and we appreciate your input and presence here today. Faafetai tele.
And with that, I wish you a fruitful dialogue today and I look forward to the outcome of your discussions and a continuation to other areas of heritage, so we can better inform our people and involve everyone, in the safeguarding of our traditional knowledge, culture and way of life.
Faafetai tele le afifio mai.
Soifua.
