Pacific Kids Learning has launched possibly the first-ever Siva Samoa animation titled "Samoana" featuring an original composition written especially for the Pacific Digital Dance project.

The project was by a well-respected Sāmoan Oratory tutor and Gagana Sāmoa champion,  Tauanu'u Perenise Tapu Sitagata whose aim is to promote the use of the Samoan language among Samoan children living in New Zealand.

Pacific Kids Learning (PKL) is an award winning enterprise that designs and creates child-friendly resources for Pacific languages.

"This beautiful piece of music is a love letter: "Lo’u atunu’u Sāmoa, ua pele tasi oe i lo’u agaga" - My country of Sāmoa, you are dear to my soul," PKL posted on social media.

This animation is a dynamic teaching tool that encourages children to sing proudly in their language and with PKL aiming to amplify young Pacific voices and today we congratulate the three Sāmoan students behind the beautiful melodies - sisters Eseta and Lauryna Malaesilia and their cousin Fa'agase Palale. 

"Thank you for lending your voices to this animation so that other kids and their families can be encouraged to do the same!"

"We also thank the gracefully talented choreographer and dancer Natalie Toevai for her interpretation of the lyrics into siva Sāmoa. Natalie dances with her heart, her hands and feet follow. We hope all children are inspired to use this resource, any time, anywhere to sing, dance, and feel more connected to Sāmoa.

"Finally, much respect and appreciation to the talented son of Sāmoa, our 3D animator Thomas Greentree. Your storytelling ability through your artistry is captivating - thank you for your dedication to your craft and for bringing this part of the project to completion."

Meanwhile, PKL has a simple and transformative vision: to ignite young minds, foster creativity, and create a new paradigm for education that is engaging, efficient, and impactful. 

"Pacific Kids' Learning has evolved into a shared mission to revolutionise the educational experience for children.  

"STEAM education together with cultural empowerment are the cornerstones of this mission. Traditional learning methods often fail to capture the essence of curiosity and creativity that children inherently possess. 

"We want to change this. We have designed an environment where children are not just passive recipients of knowledge, but active creators of their own learning journey. The Pacific Digital Library will be launching at the end of January 2024. 

"This is PKL's video streaming platform where learners of all ages can reconnect with values-driven heritage stories, songs and various animations. Teacher support resources can also be accessed via our digital library - watch this space! YPA Workshops - Empowering Educators and Students: At the heart of our approach are the Young Pasifika Animators (YPA) workshops."