Marina Alefosio, photo by Diana Hu.
Join us for a conversation with Marina Alefosio, an Aotearoa-born Samoan spoken-word poet whose work bridges creative expression and community empowerment.
Alefosio hails from the villages of Mulifanua, Leauva’a, Faleasiu, and Falefa in Samoa, and works across the Pacific at the intersection of arts, culture, and wellbeing.
Her practice spans spoken word, hip-hop, theatre, songwriting, and mentorship, centring Pasifika and Indigenous voices while exploring themes of identity, justice, and collective healing. Her creative journey began on local and international stages, including the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York (2012) and TEDx Auckland (2013). She has since performed at significant cultural events such as the Dawn Raids Apology Ceremony in Auckland (2021) and the Toronto Writers Festival (2021).
Marina’s contributions have been recognized through numerous poetry anthologies, residencies, and fellowships, including the Banff Centre (2019 and 2024), the Tautai Pacific Arts Trust Fale-ship Residency (2021), the Rhodes Poetry Retreat (2023), and the Creative New Zealand Creative Fellowship Fund (2024), which supported the publication of her debut book to siva inside a circle. Drawing on these experiences, she co-designed a spoken-word residency in Mulifanua, Samoa, with her father and tulafale, Savaiinaea Palenapa Alefosio, creating space for Oceania writers across disciplines.
Facilitated by Janine Windolph, Director, Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre, the session includes a presentation by Alefosio, followed by a discussion and a Q&A. This conversation will be live-streamed and recorded, with the recording shared following the event. Sessions may include sharing experiences and asking difficult questions.
About the Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series
The Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series is a bi-monthly conversation session inviting leading Indigenous Art creators to discuss their practices and processes. The series engages an Indigenous lens across various art forms, including Literary Arts, Film and Media Arts, Digital Media, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts such as Theatre, Dance, and Music. These sessions offer a space to explore and deepen your understanding of how Indigenous artists use their disciplines as tools to decolonize artistic processes and creation.