Fonotī Pati Umaga on the genre-defying Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan

We talked to Pati Umaga about his new show ahead of it's premiere at Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival. Listen to the podcast between Pati Umaga and Joegen Daniels or read the transcript below:

Joegen Daniels (JD): Kia ora koutou, we're here in the beautiful Te Whanganui-a-Tara, ahead of the premiere of the show, Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan, and I am sat here with Fonotī Pati Umaga, nō hea koe? Can you introduce yourself and where you're from?

Fonotī Pati Umaga (PU): Kia ora, talofa. My name is Fonotī Pati Umaga. I'm Samoan, and I was born in Wellington and raised in Wainuiomata, in Lower Hutt.

JD: Beautiful, can you tell me a bit about Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan?

PU: Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan is primarily about my journey from being an able bodied person and then through a fall, becoming disabled and being a wheelchair user. And so the portrait is kind of based on that life journey and the transition of how I went through from being able bodied to becoming disabled, and all the kind of ups and downs that came with it.

JD: So, Pati, how did the name for the show come about? Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan.

PU: Well, it was tongue-in-cheek actually, with the humble disabled Samoan. Whenever I get complimented for doing anything, I always say, “I'm just a poor, humble disabled Samoan.” And after saying it for a while, whenever people hear me say- they don't go- “Here we go, blah, blah, blah.” But, I was working with the people at the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington, and with Hone Kouka and Mīria George and Dolina Wehipeihana, and it was Hone who said, “Oh, we could call it a music portrait of a poor, humble, disabled Samoan.” And I said, “Oh, just for a working draft, but they kept it.” And then they said, “It's too long. And I said, “Why don't you just drop the ‘poor’?” And then they kept the rest. And so that's how the name came about.

JD: I heard that there was a lot of intention around making sure there were disabled people in all stages of the production, so that there was disability leadership behind the scenes, on stage and initial, like, developing and creation. I want to ask, how does having disabled people in all these different areas- How does it change the creation and the development of the show? What is it like being in a space where disabled people are feeding into every part?

PU: Yes. Well, I wanted to incorporate the whole involvement of disabled people in as many parts of the production as possible. We, as a lot of our disabled artists, especially our Pacific disabled artists- we don't get the opportunity to be able to participate or be involved in a production that's in two major festivals in Aotearoa. And it's not just about being involved, but it's also, how do we make sure that the whole show is accessible as well? So when you look at disability, we look at, you know, there's physical, there's sensory, there's neurodiverse, all these different kind of disabilities. How could we get a show that could try and cater to all those disabilities, and be able to make sure it's accessible for everyone? So it may not be perfect, and I think it's because it hasn't really been done to that level in my own experience. So if we can give it a good shot, at least try and lay a pathway so that we can make it totally inclusive, not just for our disabled community, but also for our wider community as well.

JD: How is it working on a show that's entirely about your life and focuses on your life?

PU: Immediately it comes to mind is the word: freaky. It is so freaky, and the reason why is because my journey has always been my journey, and I've never considered it to be of any significance for anyone else other than myself. And being able to help people on the way, and you kind of finish one thing, and then you move on to the next. So to have that focus now, where it's sharing my journey, and people are saying, “Oh, you know, it's really amazing, what you went through. It's quite inspiring.” And I'm thinking, “Really?” Because that wasn't the intention. And so, you know, I know lots of people, I have lots of friends, but I can be quite private at times So it's- because I trust the people around me to maintain the integrity of the journey and the story itself, that I'm feeling a bit more comfortable about being able to share it and share it in a way that is quite new to me. I've never acted before in terms of doing a production or sorts. I've played hundreds of gigs in public, but- so this is a new journey as well. So that's what makes it extra, kind of vulnerable in some ways for myself, yeah.

JD: And so the first time acting, the first time dancing as well. Is that right?

PU: Yes, yeah, yeah. Well, it's some choreographed movements to some- especially to an original piece of music that I wrote called Unbelievable. And for me, watching Neil Ieremia Our choreographer, taking the essence of the story and then putting some dance movements around it. That was quite powerful and then, but it is the first time I've ever worked doing choreographed dance movements for anything.

JD: Yeah, yeah. Talk about vulnerability, especially you have a show that's that's about you. And then there's also these added layers. It's cool because it's also based around music. It's a music portrait. But then there's also these added layers of like, first time acting, first dancing. This is my story. How did you stay vulnerable throughout, like, the creation and the making of it?

PU: Well, I think I have to thank Nathaniel Lees, our director, for doing that, because we've been friends for a long time. And after my accident, we kind of lost touch for a while. And, you know, I called it an accident, but they called it a fall, you know, because, for some reason, it may not entirely just be an accident, with the way things have happened, but with Nathaniel, he was- I looked up to him in terms of the guidance that I needed to actually be comfortable in terms of being able to portray my story on stage, you know? So I still don't know what I'll deliver, but I'm going to do my damn best to be able to do so, so 110% you know? So, typical musos, ay. We always have to add another 10, like volume, you know, it's always has to be 11. Another 10 or- so 110% definitely

JD: Awesome, just that little bit.

PU: Just a little bit more.

JD: Can we expect to see you back on the bass, for, for the show?

PU: Yes. Yeah.

JD: We can cut it if that's a spoiler. No.

PU: Not unless Nathaniel rings me, “That’s a spoiler, you’re spoiling our show now.” Yeah, I will be doing a bit of playing bass again. It's been quite cathartic. Is that the word to have to pick up the bass again and to try and use the fingers after so many years of not playing, to really try and get my chops back, you know, to be able to get my playing back into gear. And slowly, it's coming back, and it's been like a form of rehab for me, which is, yeah, it's quite it's quite surreal, really, to be able to get back into playing again especially at my age, because I thought like I'd never be playing bass again, you know, just maybe producing music, but not playing, yeah.

JD: Cool. I can. I can relate to reconnecting with something- over the- over the Christmas holidays, I rediscovered my grandpa's old keyboard that he used when he was making music. So my granddad used to like tour Rotorua and sort of tour around the island. One man band. He had a keyboard that did like, drums, the bottom half does bass, and the top half does synth. And he used to sing, sing songs and sing music. And I was lucky enough to find that keyboard again and- Now it’s set up in my bedroom, and now I can, just like, twist from my computer chair over to the keyboard and start plonking away.

PU: That's cool.

JD: Have you found that playing bass again has maybe brought back memories, or has reconnected to other parts of yourself that maybe you weren't connected to for a while?

PU: Yes. Yeah, it has actually, and. um, when I think about music now, I think about my granddad. He was- lived in Samoa, in a village called Leulumoega, and back in the 1920s late 1920s they were part of what was called the Mau Movement, and that was part of the movement that was basically activism, protesting in terms of Samoa maintaining its independence away from the New Zealand administration at the time. And they were having a peaceful march in Apia, and they were shot upon by the New Zealand police force at the time, and our leader of the Mau Movement was killed, as well as a few others.

And granddad, all the marchers that were there, they just dispersed and ran into the hills, and they were being hunted down by the- by the New Zealand police. And my dad told me that granddad had run back to the village and says, “Son, you got to hide me. There's a plane. They got a plane up in the air, and a machine gun, a spotlight coming around, looking for us and shooting us.” And I think my dad was going, "Whatever. There’s no planes in Samoa in the 1920s.” But there was, it was a Tiger Moth, and they and it really did go out, you know, with the spotlight and, you know, shooting at the villagers that would took part in the protest.

But my granddad wrote a song. He was a composer, and he wrote a song about that particular time, the Mau Movement. And I re recorded it with my family, and we managed to bring the song into the studio, and the way we recorded it, got some software that could bring together our granddad with his group of men that were chanting the tune. It was 11 minutes long, and recorded with my extended family. We brought them in, and we merged the vocals together to make it sound like we're all singing the same. And that was a really amazing project. And so part of that song will be performed on the production as well. So that's been the kind of real, I guess, moment of acknowledging granddad legacy. So, yeah, it's always been music has been his thing.

JD: Thats beautiful. Yeah. There's like a, like, cross generational, sort of, like, coming together.

PU: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

JD: Yeah, yeah.

PU: And it was funny, because when we were recording the studio, there were things that happened which you wouldn't think would happen, like just this energy that was in the room that it just felt like there was people in there listening. And I know that there were some parts where if it didn't sound right, it didn't feel right in the room as well. And then we kept adjusting things till suddenly the buzz was quite electric. Okay, fair enough. I know you're around, okay, I can hear, feel you, but it was that kind of energy, and it really helped me to kind of think that there was still a connection with the song, and the kind of activism that I used to do back in the day, with the protest movement for the Springbok tour, and doing things like the Samoan citizenship issue, where we did a big protest march here in Wellington for our Samoan community. So all those kind of images of stuff that we did back in the day, and connecting to granddad's legacy as well.

JD: That's beautiful. So, even though Music Portrait of a Humble, Disabled Samoan focuses on your story. There's also some other stories involved, right from the wider community. Can you speak to any of the other stories in the show?

PU: Yeah, sure. Originally, I did want the story to focus a lot more on people who were around me, who guided me through this journey of being disabled. And one of them was my old school friend who we were at college together, and he was- I didn't see him after he turned 18, and found out later in life that he jumped off the Petone Wharf and broke his neck and became a wheelchair user, became disabled, and then I met him later, and then, By then, I was in my 30s, and yeah, I saw him, and then I just kind of avoided him. I didn't know how to go up and say hi and then, but after, after my fall, and while I was recovering at home, he started coming around to my place and started helping me through and bringing in other people to come and meet with me and support me, and I think, “Wow, what goes around, eh?”

So I've also done some work with Tariana Turia, back in my walking days as a youth worker, when I was working with street kids, and Tariana was doing the same as well. She was doing community work, and got to meet her and Moana Jackson, great Māori leader who was my English and Māori teacher at Wainuiomata College and taught me my first whaikōrero. And, yeah, so you know, my parents, of course, and family and but yeah, just lots of people. But Nathaniel, the director, just kind of looked at me and went, “This journey is about you, Pati. We need to tell that story.” “Oh, okay.” That's how it's come about.

JD: Yeah. I do want to ask about- about being Samoan and disabled. It is. It's in the title of the show. But also I know that- I would imagine that being Samoan and separately, being disabled are two different experiences, and then when you combine them, it's an even more unique experience.

I think about in Māori culture, so- in my whānau, right? One, one thing that I've thought about being both Maori and disabled is so- manaakitanga. In my whānau, if you see someone that looks like they need help, you rush in and you help them. And you don't ask if they need help. You just, you just get up and do it. But when you're disabled, sometimes you don't want people to rush in and help you. But there's just, like, interesting places where you know culture and being disabled sort of interact and either clash or work together. I wonder, what is it? What aspects of being both, both disabled and Samoan together? What interactions do you see between those two things? And maybe, how does it come through in the show?

PU: Yeah, well, I think in terms of culture, and especially our Samoan culture and disability, the experiences haven't always been positive. I know that there is stigma and attitudes within the wider communities towards disabled people. We talk about ableism, and the way ableism impacts us as disabled people, and in our culture, there is also the, I guess there was some extra added stigma in terms of cultural attitudes. You know, the stories about, you know, oh, you're disabled because your family's cursed, and that's the reason why you're disabled.

And, you know, I've had friends who said, “Oh, you know, I had cerebral palsy and I wanted to dance, but my family wouldn't let me. Every time I went to go to dance, they just pushed me back and said, ‘Get back in the back, in your corner.’” And, I guess, and I wonder sometimes if a lot of that is because of the Christian influence at the time and the way, you know, I guess when I think about polio and what that was, how we had, how our people were lepers, you know, they had those leper colonies back in the day, and leprosy and and I think that also, that has carried through the some of the generations, and for a lot of our people, they're always kept at home. They were- didn't want to be seen, could be an embarrassment to the family and so there's this thing of over protection as well.

And I think now attitudes are starting to change because of the way some of our people now are taking charge of their own lives and are stepping forward, especially some of our younger ones, who are coming forward, and they're now leading a lot of the change in terms of things like, you know, there's a wheelchair dance group called PHAB PHusion. You know, they're amazing young group of performers that are really making a name for themselves and are breaking the mould of how people would see- in our communities- would see disabled people, and I think a lot of younger parents now are feeling like they want to do more for for their young people, other than just keeping them at home and just treating them like they are sick and broken.

So culturally, I think I'm hoping that Music Portrait of a Disabled Samoan, of a Humble Disabled Samoan, will help towards breaking that mould, because I just want to show people that we don't always have to be led. We need to lead as well. And so a lot of our people have had to depend on services being provided to them, and they've had to depend on funding, and the way funds worked for their supports. And so, yeah, it's just want to try and challenge all those stereotypes, attitudes and stigma and say, no, let us do this. Nothing about us without us.

JD: Speaking of PHAB, you have a couple members in the show right from PHAB?

PU: Yes.

JD: Yeah, I think I saw Lavinia and Faith. How's it been working with them?

PU: Yeah, well, I've done quite a bit of work with both Lavinia and, and Faith, especially with Lavinia, as I call her, because she was in my first music video doing a solo piece of dance, and we've maintained our friendship over the years, but more so because both her and Faith and Naomi Vailima who's their other cohort, we've been running some leadership workshops for them over the past few years and helped towards providing some mentoring around their leadership, and they're now in the play, both Faith and Niah, and they do some major parts alongside myself, so they're three wheelchair performers in this production.

JD: Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. I was lucky to talk to Lavinia last year to talk about how she choreographs and just how every every piece she does choreograph wise it's unique to the people performing in it, because she puts a lot of care and thought into adapting the movements to the needs of the performers.

PU: That's right.

JD: So, yeah, very lucky, very lucky to have Lavinia, Naomi, Faith as friends of The D*List as well.

PU: Yeah. Oh that's great. Yeah, No, they're amazing young leaders. And I feel privileged to have been able to feel that I've contributed to part of their leadership development along the way, and for them to be involved in the production as well. And even Naomi is involved, but she's involved behind the scenes, you know. So it's a great connect. Yeah, I love it.

JD: How do you imagine a disability pasifika art scene looking if it was fully supported by the industry and had all the money and all the access to all of the stuff that it needs. How do you imagine an art scene to look like?

PU: I can imagine an international disability arts festival, and I can imagine an Indigenous disability international arts festival. And why I say Indigenous is because I feel that our story of Pacific artists resonates with other Indigenous cultures around the world, and it would be great if we can have our own festival that was fully accessible, that covered all the different formats of disability and was led by our people, and we were the ones running behind the scenes and organising everything in support of other, you know, working collaboration with other festivals, and I would point immediately to the Aotearoa New Zealand International Festival of the Arts and the Auckland Arts Festival, because they're the ones who have had the courage alongside PANNZ, who have collaborated together to bring the Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan. And for me, that should be a first step towards achieving that goal of having our independent, Indigenous disabled arts festival to take to the world, you know, but we have it here in Aotearoa.

JD: Yeah, beautiful. I don't know. I don't know. You could have given an answer that so perfectly speaks to the humble, humble part of the show. I asked you about, you know, disability, Pasifika arts, and your first thought was an international festival which is really beautiful, and that- I'm imagining it now, and that's, that's the perfect encapsulation of nothing about us, without us. Yeah, an international festival, indigenous Festival, where disabled people are running it. Yes, I think, I think it's possible. I think it's coming.

PU: Oh, I truly believe it's possible now. I didn't think we could ever be involved in, for example, these arts festivals so and to have both Lavinia and Faith being involved, that kind of opens an opportunity, as far as I can see as well, you know, so it's, it's basically being able to have an opportunity. Opportunity for legacy, and then being able to hand the mantle over to the younger ones who can come through and I look forward to the day when they can just come up and say thanks Pati, you can get out of the way now we’ll take over.

JD: Yes you can. You can rest now.

PU: Absolutely. I can rest and make sure I get free entry into all of the events. Yeah, yeah.

JD: Beautiful. Music Portrait of a Humble, Disabled, Samoan is playing at Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival from the fifth to eighth of March, and at the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts from 12th to 14th of March. Pati, thank you for talking with me today.

PU: Thank you Joegen. Nice to talk to you malo.

JD: I'll see you at the show.

PU: Absolutely. We'll get you a comp.

JD: Yes, yes, please.

To purchase tickets, visit aaf.co.nz for Auckland shows (March 5-8) and festival.nz for Wellington shows (March 12-14).