Close to eighty locals benefitted from a two-day training held at the Oloamanu Centre at the National University of Samoa (N.U.S) on the Ikebana flower arrangement. 

The training is a first of its kind in Samoa and it was facilitated by. Yorie Inoue from the Ikebana Ikebono Centre Committee in Japan. 

Mrs. Inoue is in the country with her husband for the Trade Mission held in Apia, and she had offered her help to teach our women on how to arrange flowers in a different way. 

The co-ordinator of the programme, Seumanutafa Malcolm Hazelman, of the Federated Farmers Incorporated, said the training is useful for Samoa.

“This is the first time we’ve had this type of training in Samoa,” he told the Weekend Observer. 

“There have been other trainings before on how to arrange flowers, but this is first time we’ve had trainings with someone from Japan to teach us on how to arrange an ikebana flower arrangement.” 

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, said Seumanutafa.

“It is more than simply putting flowers in a container. The arrangement is simple and unique.”

Ikebana is, therefore, much more than mere floral decoration, he added.

Seumanutafa uttered that the trainings was very important to enhance the skills of our local florist on how to arrange flowers in a different and unique way.

“A lot of people arrange flowers to decorate our churches on Sunday in Samoa,” he said. 

“We also have a lot of business women who arrange flowers and sell them at the market. Most people arrange flowers to take to the hospital when they have friends or relatives at the hospital. And we all have different patterns and styles of flower arrangements. And now after the trainings on Ikebana floral arrangement, they can now use it and apply the skills they’ve learnt from here. 

“The ikebana flower arrangement is very simple. It has a unique three dimensional structure which allows you to use not more than three different flowers in one arrangement.”

The trainings started on Thursday and ended yesterday with the presentation of certificates to all the local florists and people who participated in the training.  

According to Seumanutafa, the majorities of those who participated in the training were women.

“But that is normal,” he said. 

“This is something women do in our communities and it’s pleasing to see their eagerness in learning something new to be added to their lists of idea on how to have a beautiful arrangement of flowers for any occasion.”

Seumanutafa said that they are hoping for more trainings similar to this to be held in the future.