First Fridays - May

First Fridays feature's current New Zealand Poet Laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh, Will 'Ilolahia and a performance by the Black Friars. Hosted by Daren Kamali at the Central City Library, 44-46 Lorne St, Auckland.

First Fridays is about sharing knowledge and bringing the community together. It is a FREE event that invites the Oceanic arts community together with creative presentations and performances. Make sure that you reserve your seat today. Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome.

RSVP to tautai@tautai.org

This evening will have presentations by:

Selina Tusitala Marsh
Pasifika poet-scholar and the current New Zealand Poet Laureate (2017-2019), Selina was the 2016 Commonwealth Poet and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2019. She has performed her award-winning poems to primary schoolers and presidents (Obama), quiz masters (London Literary Death Match) and Queens (Elizabeth II).

Will 'Ilolahia
Working as an agent for social change, on a local and global scale, Will 'Ilolahia is not just a Polynesian Panther revolutionary, he also manages events and artists, such as household names like HERBS, UB40, the Jets and Spenz Fusimalohi, to name a few. The talanoa on 3 May, coincides with the 125th Anniversary of of his family name, 'Ilolahia.

There will also be a performance by:

The Black Friars
This theatre company is made up of mainly Pasifika young adults who, for the past ten years, have been re-telling Shakespeare plays within a Polynesian context. Their aim? To keep talented Pasifika and Māori youth off the street and on the stage.

The Black Friar theatre company wants to break down negative stereotypes and build on positive examples for south Auckland youth. Their mission statement includes re-telling classic literature in a way that's relevant to their community. Black Friars Theatre has been working for the past 10 years in South Auckland to're-story' conventional narratives with a Pasifika twist and have performed in the NZ International Comedy Festival, Auckland Fringe Festival, and in churches and schools around the Pacific.

MC and Host:

Daren Kamali
(Fijian, Uvean, Futunan and Scottish)
Poet/ artist/researcher and Senior Curator Pacific - Auckland Libraries (Research and Heritage). Migrated to Aotearoa NZ from Fiji at the age of 17.

Daren has a Pan Pacific approach to writing and performance that reflects his multi-cultural background and upbringing in Fiji and Aotearoa NZ. “As a poet, most my writing and performance draws from Pacific people, islands, sea, the old and new, heritage and contemporary setting, across space and time”. “As Senior Curator Pacific for Auckland Libraries I am focused on creating more Pacific content, especially around language and culture and making Auckland Libraries a Pacific friendly place for our communities to visit, enjoy and learn”.