Tagata Sa’ilimalo – a shared vision for and by Pacific disabled people
Vaka Tautua is cementing its longstanding and valued partnership with the Tōfā Mamao Collective by embracing ‘Tagata Sa’ilimalo’, their new vision of Pacific disability in Aotearoa. Tagata Sa’ilimalo reflects the hopes of the disability community to imagine better for their future.
Vaka Tautua Board member and Tōfā Mamao Collective National Executive Officer, Tunumafono Fa'amoetauloa Avaula Fa'amoe
The name of Tōfā Mamao’s vision comes from the Samoan ‘tagata’ (person or people) and ‘sa’ilimalo’ (pursuit of success). Tagata Sa’ilimalo is therefore an aspirational vision of the pursuit of success underpinned by sheer determination and sustained by the collective vitality of Pacific peoples.
In the lower-case form, tagata sa’ilimalo is also a term of identity to replace ‘Pacific disabled people, their families, and carers’, encompassing the family and community who surround the individual. It can be singular or plural.
Following this lead, Vaka Tautua’s family of Disability Services will now be known as ‘Tagata Sa’ilimalo: Disability Services’. The organisation will also adopt the identity phrase when referring to Pacific disabled people and the Pacific disability community in Aotearoa. Translations will be developed in other Pacific languages to describe the same vision and identity.
Vaka Tautua Board member, Tunumafono Fa'amoetauloa Avaula Fa'amoe – known as Ava – is also the founder of the Tōfā Mamao Collective and is currently its National Executive Officer. Tōfā Mamao is a grassroots collective of tagata sa’ilimalo with a uniquely Pacific perspective.
Ava says, “As a proudly independent national non-profit led entirely by tagata sa’ilimalo, Tōfā Mamao plays a unique role in advancing the voice of lived experience. Our Tagata Sa’ilimalo vision is inclusive of all Pacific peoples in Aotearoa and all disability types.”
The Tagata Sa’ilimalo movement centres around a vision and identity that is grounded in the Pacific world view of collectivism. Tōfā Mamao and Vaka Tautua aim to promote this world view through local partnership and national collaboration.
Vaka Tautua Chief Executive Officer, Moananu Anna Redican-Kolose, says, “Vaka Tautua is committed to working in partnership with Tōfā Mamao, Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People, and the Tangaroa Disability Collective to help amplify the voices of our tagata sa’ilimalo. We believe working collectively is the most effective way to support positive change for tagata sa’ilimalo in Aotearoa.”
Learn more about the Tagata Sa’ilimalo vision and identity at the Tōfā Mamao website: Tōfā Mamao