As you enter Vaitele Fou, you will notice a house that is unique from others. Wooden and stone carvings surround the house, this where 53-year-old Poutoa Letuvae resides and the statues are his own creation.

As an artist he believes that his talent should be displayed and as an arts teacher he hopes that his talents are passed on to the next generation.

Mr. Letuvae is from the villages of Vaitele Fou, Sa’anapu, Toamua and Malie. Carving came naturally to him and this was what made his family force him to attend the School of Fine Arts in Leulumoega Fou.

According to Mr. Letuvae, he started his journey of art in the College of Avele in the late 1980s. In 1989 his teacher and principal of Avele College told him to sit the entrance exams for the School of Fine Arts. In 1990, he entered the school and was taught by the legendary Ernesto Coter.

“Mr. Coter was my first teacher at the time. I still admire him,” Mr. Letuvae said.

Mr. Letuvae said he felt very special as he was the first student Mr. Coter gave his carving tools to. He helped him and his five fellow friends. Mr Coter had brought the carving tools from Italy and he barely let anyone touch it but he saw a special talent in Mr. Letuvae.

In 1993, Mr. Letuvae graduated from the School of Fine Arts. He then began a journey of passing the knowledge he had acquired by starting classes in primary and secondary school including Avele College and Robert Louis Stevenson School where he is currently working now.

His home is an exception. Carvings of chiefs with their to’oto’o and fue guard his front gate.

“The meaning of the chiefs tells everyone the roles of the matai in Samoa. In a local belief and what I was taught while growing up, there is a proverb that “Tofia e le Atua Samoa ina ia Pulea e Matai”, meaning that God chose Samoa to be looked after by its chiefs,” he said.

There are other carvings and statues. There are two bulls and a lady throwing a baby in a garbage can and on the right is a man holding a knife against his wife and children.

“In the past years, there were several cases of young teenage mothers throwing away their children,” he said.

“Domestic violence rate has increased and that is why I carved a statue portraying a small family where the father abuses the mother and children on his other hand a knife and the other holds a bottle of beer.

“Alcohol has contributed in violence these days and I am happy to display this in the front to let the people be aware of the issues that are affecting the country."

Mr. Letuvae has been able to make a handsome amount from his creations, some of which have fetched as much as $20,000.

For now, he is immersed in passing the knowledge of art to his students. He plans to retire when he reaches 55-years. He said he would once again become a full time artist.