PRESS RELEASE

Press Contacts: Mary Dickson
(801) 581-3263
www.kued.org
Saturday, April 17th, 2004

Many years ago, Samoans faced disaster as a volcano on the island of Savaii erupted, destroying all that they owned. They escaped with their lives, but they lost everything else. As they watched the lava flow down the mountainside, consuming their homes and plantations, they cried out "Aue To Fefe: I am so scared." Today, that fear returns as the fire of gang life consumes the lives of Samoan families here in the United States.

Le Afi Ua Mu: The Fire is Burning, a film by Shane Seggar, explores the difficulties Samoan youth face as a result of being separated from their cultural heritage. Seggar, who is half Samoan himself, interweaves the experience of young Samoan men in Samoa and Los Angeles with his own search for identity as he explores the social and cultural dynamics that lead Samoan youth to join gangs in the United States.

When Seggar was ten days old a Caucasian family adopted him. Being raised in a predominantly white culture, he rarely considered his Samoan heritage. In fact, he distanced himself from the Samoan culture because it was better to be white.

Not until Shane started this project did he start to take a real interest in his cultural heritage. "It was in my first interview with one of the local gangster when I realized I had something in common with him. I wasn't sure what it was, but there was a definite bond." Through the journey of making Le Afi Ua Mu: The Fire is Burning Seggar realized that it was the feeling of dislocation from Samoan culture that he shared with Samoan gangsters that he met.

Says Seggar, "I often feel like a poseur when I am with Samoans. Over time I realized that they are not that different from me, even though I grew up in Utah County, in a middle class neighborhood. We both longed for acceptance in our own culture."

In high school, Seggar says he suffered from an identity crisis, which ultimately led him to attempt suicide as a cry for help which he likens to the ancient villagers cry, Aue To Fefe (I am so scared.) Seggar attributes the resulting therapy with helping him come to terms with his struggle. "For the first time in my life I realized that I had a choice." Choice became the theme of his life and is the theme of the show. It's about choice."

The decision to produce the documentary was to increase awareness about Samoan gangs. Seggar says, "The purpose of the film is to start a dialogue, a dialogue among parents, teachers, law enforcement officers, social workers, and community leaders. The first step towards finding a solution is talking about it. By bringing diverse voices to this problem and listening to each other, we have the beginnings of a solution. I have no illusions that this one film can provide the solutions, nor do I think that they will be solved over night. But, I do believe that if we work together that we can find a solution. Most importantly, parents must parent because if they do not, their children will find someone else to do it- and those parents may loose their chance to positively influence them."

Major funding for Le Afi Ua Mu: The Fire Is Burning was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC).

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