Momoe Malietoa Von Reiche

Momoe Malietoa Von Reiche is a Samoan poet, artist, sculptor, photographer.[1]

Biography

She was born in Samoa and was educated in Samoa and New Zealand. Her published books of poetry are Solaua, a Secret Embryo (1974[2]), Pao Alimago on Wet Days (1979), Alaoa, above the Gully of Your Childhood (1986) and Tai, the Heart of a Tree (1989).[3]

Von Reiche writes in English.[1] She belongs to the "later phase" of South Pacific poetry, whereby her perception of reality is through an individual rather than communal viewpoint.[4] Her poems have been described as "lyrical". A prominent theme in her poetry is the sexist abuse of power.[3] Literary critic Tiffin has noted the use of "words deliberate, carefully chosen, hard hitting" in such poems of hers.[2] Personal relationships are another recurrent theme in her works, and a quest for love and belonging features. Critics have noted some "autobiographical" elements in her poetry, with several of her poems being described as "vignettes which capture transitory moments of tenderness, compassion, jealousy and anger".[4]

She runs an art gallery named M.A.D.D. in Moto'otua.[1][5] Here, she organises dance and drama programmes, as well as creative writing programmes for children. She also illustrates children's books.[1] She has organised creative writing workshops in Tokelau under the University of South Pacific, inspiring young Tokelauan writers, most of them women. These workshops led to the publication of a collection of works from nine Tokelauans in 1992, titled Nuanua in Tokelau.[6]

References
  1. Wendt, Albert (2013). Mauri Ola: Contemporary Polynesian Poems in English. Auckland University Press. ISBN 9781869407230.
  2. Goetzfridt, Nicholas J. (1995). Indigenous Literature of Oceania: A Survey of Criticism and Interpretation. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 111. ISBN 9780313291739.
  3. The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. University of Hawaii Press. 2000. p. 537. ISBN 9780824822651.
  4. Subramani (1992). South Pacific Literature: From Myth to Fabulation. Suva: University of South Pacific. pp. 58–59. ISBN 9789820200807.
  5. "Art work bridges generations". Samoan Observer. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  6. Va'ai, Sina (1999). Inside Out: Literature, Cultural Politics, and Identity in the New Pacific. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 214. ISBN 9780847691432.
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