Irae Tanuvasa is a talented artist who is one of the creatives behind Samoa’s First 10 Book Series for children launching on 28 September.  

This initiative is called Tatou Faitau or Let’s Read by Asia Foundation in partnership with Samoa Early Learning Foundation, a local charitable organisation dedicated to enhancing children's learning, especially for literacy and reading.  

Tatou Faitau or Let's Read, aims to foster a love for reading among young children while preserving and promoting Samoa’s rich culture.

Samoa’s first book series is part of a 10,000-book electronic library from across Asia and the Pacific, translated into 60 languages.  This collaborative effort brings together the talents of twelve local authors and illustrators. Each book in the series is designed to resonate with Samoan children, featuring stories that reflect their everyday lives, cultural practices and unique environment.

Irae started drawing at four or five years old.  As a child, he was fascinated with planes and wanted to become a pilot.  He started drawing airplanes and from there he developed a love for art.

His father, Mark Tanuvasa was the first person who taught him how to draw these planes.  This became a regular activity for father and son.   Later, his father introduced him to movies and cartoons and that opened up a whole new world for him.

“The book reflects the main theme and captures the reader’s attention with all the writer’s unique storytelling skills.  The drawing process wasn’t that difficult as long as you plan it right, draw it right make it right. Also do lots of storyboarding,” was his reply about the significance of the books.  

“My favourite part of working on the book series was the collaboration with other talented individuals. The opportunity to work with skilled writers and illustrators was both enjoyable and rewarding.  The most challenging aspect was storyboarding. Creating a compelling visual narrative that matches the tone of the story required extensive planning and creativity”.

This is Irae's second published book. His first was an art exhibition in 2020, and he also created a comic book for the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, launched in 2022.

This comic encourages young people to practice hygiene and is now held by the government. Irae hopes that readers will not only enjoy the story and illustrations but also learn something new from them.  Irae is currently working on a script and planning his first feature film in Samoa, which indicates his expanding creative horizons.

Advice for Aspiring Illustrators: Irae encourages aspiring artists to practice consistently, stay passionate, and draw inspiration from their surroundings. He stresses that expressing oneself fearlessly is key to improving as an artist.

“Practice makes perfect, you keep drawing until it becomes a habit, even if you don’t feel like it. Stay passionate and you will always find inspiration around you. I always draw anything I want to. For young artists, draw what you want to draw, avoid criticism and remember, expressing yourself fearlessly is what makes you a better artist.”

Irae Tanuvasa’s journey and insights offer valuable inspiration for both budding and established artists, highlighting the importance of perseverance, passion, and collaboration in the creative process.

The official launch of the Samoa 10-book series will take place on 28 September, with events scheduled at various schools, early learning centres and community reading programs across the country. More than 2000 copies of the book series will be donated to schools, organisations and groups in Samoa.