Le Afi Ua Mu: The Fire is Burning Part 2

Le Afi Ua Mu - A Fire is Burning
56 min., 2003, (USA)
Director-Producer: Shane Seggar.
Years ago, Samoans faced disaster as a volcano erupted and destroyed all that they owned. Luckily, they escaped with their lives, but lost everything else. As they watched the lava flow down the mountainside, consuming their homes and plantations, they cried out "Aue Te Fefe--I am so scared." Today, that fear returns in the face of the gang life consuming the lives of Samoan families here in the United States. Le Afi Ua Mu: The Fire Is Burning explores the difficulties that confront Samoan youth separated from their cultural heritage. Afakasi (half-Samoan) filmmaker Shane Seggar interweaves his own experiences with those of young Samoan men in Samoa and Los Angeles as he explores the social and cultural dynamics that lead Samoan youth to join gangs in the United States.

[@rtasi2000]

my respects go out to shane seggar for putting together this awesome doc.showing perspectives from both traditional and contemporary samoan lives.one love to all my samoan people out there whether banging on the streets or living the fa'asamoa life i still got love for yall.

[@Ebuverthebicepcurler]

yes, listen to the olders.

[@k1sto]

Malo lava Ripine... Thanks for this havent seen this man in years.. missing home..

[@checkgame]

Identity is key, we have to go beyond culture, beyond male/female, beyond age. I'm samoan and I'm proud but before that, the questions that continues to roam this world we live in still remains. 1)what was the beginning? 2)what is the end? 3)whats my purpose? 4)who am i? I'm full samoan born in america. I love my culture, but there still resides an imperfection in culture that cannot be trusted. Theres much to be redeemed. Love the videos!

[@DeadRabbits33]

how can I get a copy? watched this while I was deployed in iraq, watching it again now stateside hooah

[@bigangry1]

Sorry for the very late response - you can watch it on Vimeo in its entirety, but that is the only way to watch it. Link: vimeo.com/16020855

[@letitburnforever2122]

I'm half Samoan and I've always thought the way the chief hierarchy is set up is in such a way that it could function as mafia. here in NZ the chiefs in my family all answer to the high chiefs back in Samoa. I have 3 brothers all over 6ft. all my cousins are over 6ft and are massive. sometimes I wonder the potential of a true Samoan mafia that spans from NZ, Australia, Hawaii, America and back to Samoa and other islands. instead we are all divided one way or another.

[@rtasi2000]

lol true, but these samoans are not imitating the tv,they "live" the life the tv portrays,people looking from the outside in will never get it.one love to all the uso's in all the four corners.

[@Alofatunoaomatua]

malo manaia

[@samoantoa08]

just to correct u my fellow tuafafine..Samoans in USA do not copy the tv..they grew up in gangbangin..they did not have or watched TV's..some are wanna be gangsters..but SOS started in the 80s way before gangbanging was popluar in movies

[@MrS-cp7oj]

I love how when that guy is speaking Samoan near the end, and the narrator of the documentary literally doesn't translate correctly anything he says lol kinda just make it up to suit the agenda of the documentary lol

[@bigangry1]

Mr S - that is true of the end of the film. It was a choice I made to complete the film. The rest of the translations were done by a Samoan teacher of Samoan language.

[@samoantoa08]

man samoans in NZ are wanna be gangsters thats even worst..i stio got love with all samoans since i am one tho

[@checkgame]

True, colonization, etc. have taken effect on samoan culture in many ways. We can even go to the extent that since no one is perfect, how can culture be perfect. We can't deny that theres a power of evil in this world right? How do we know that evil has not taken effect on culture as well? I'm not saying it's evil to be samoan, but as DarealDUBriDah shared about colonization influencing samoan culture, can evil do the same? The good thing is that there is GOOD in this world. But what to trust?

[@sillau9]

What?🤨

[@1814Malo]

@LayzieTeine What education is free? University? That definitely isn't free in Australia and NZ. From Pre-school parents have to pay. Then through primary school to high school. And if you had any real idea about crime in NZ, you'll find that the 'petty criminals' are actually mostly Maori and European.

[@checkgame]

The whole Joking, slandering one another down, shame base, not wanting to lose face as the gentlemen put it "malosi" not wanting to be "palaai". Theres legalistic factors that influence relationships btween elders and young people. You do this, this this, or get punished. The whole Drunkenness being apart of samoan culture, not true. Conforming ourselves to standards of poverty. BINGO, haha totally not samoan. Discipline is out of frustration, anger, not love. Selfishness. What do you think?

[@samoantoa08]

well, thats easy..samoans in america are americanized..they have 3 main samoan gangs..but there are many sets all over the US..biggest of them in LA, Seatle, texas, and utah..they have organizations too though jus like u guys in NZ...like youth stuff and samoan community stuff and church stuff..same in samoa..although samoa is not so urbanized..but they have turf gangs too..and school rivalries..every year samoana and leone high school fight each year resulting in at least one death each year..