Siva Afi Festival
March 2020
Mangere Arts Centre
Auckland Arts Festival / Te Ahurei
Toi o Tāmaki 2021 (AAF) is delighted to partner with Polynesian Entertainers Ltd in support of Siva Afi Festival. In tumultuous times, it is the way that we interact with people that will make a lasting impression.
Siva Afi Festival is a pioneering event that brings the talents and skills of wāhine and rangatahi to the fore, through a centuries-old traditional artform from Samoa.
The theme of AAF 2021 is Aroha and all that the word encompasses. Siva Afi Festival falls within our programming
strand of Aroha ki te tangata – show kindness, compassion, goodwill towards people.
Siva Afi fulfils this kaupapa by cultivating the next generation of fire knife dancers, as well as supporting all wāhine to participate in what has been a traditionally male pursuit and ignite audiences with a different kind of power.
Kia ora and fa’afetai to Amo and the crew for their tireless efforts in bringing this event to life.
He aroha whakatō, he aroha puta mai.
If you sow love, compassion and kindness, you will reap the same.
Siva Afi Festival began as a conversation with arts broker Renee Tanner and eventuated to the very first New Zealand Schools Siva Afi competition as a standalone mini festival. Now in its second year, it has quickly grown into a two-day festival as well as in conjunction with the Auckland Arts Festival 2021 programme.
The art broker is interested in hearing from you and learning about your creative projects, even if they are just an ‘idea’. It could be dance, film, craft, visual arts, music, kapa haka, spoken word, digital arts, a publication, a performance or exhibition.
About the Festival
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Arts is an initiative from the Māngere Ōtāhuhu Local Board to support and enable community-led arts
activities throughout the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu area. It involves having an art broker, whose role is to identify, curate, programme and enable community arts activities. The art broker works with local artists and creative organisations to offer support in the development and delivery of their creative ideas and projects, whether this be assisting with funding, marketing, or finding the right location or people to work with.