(Picture caption: Arizona Leger's new audio series Dear Great Grands has been inspired by her own grandparents.)
Arizona Ariki Nofoali’i Leger found inspiration for her new audio series Dear Great Grands following a night sitting at the feet of her grandparents, listening to their life experiences and their hopes for their grandchildren.
“I recorded the entire evening and now have their voice recording stored safely as a family heirloom,” Arizona says.
“I was further motivated by the idea of our great grandchildren’s generation being able to hear our grandparents voices talking about their hopes and dreams for all of us.”
A student of the Masters of Human Rights programme at AUT, with a focus on Indigenous Rights and Employment Rights, and of Māori, European, Samoan, Tongan and Fijian descent, identity and knowing where she comes from is imperative for the 25-year-old.
Arizona is also the northern region representative for Kau Tulī, which helps to inform and shape the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ (MPP) response to achieving goal four of Lalanga Fou – to have confident, thriving and resilient Pacific young people.
Dear Great Grands is an initiative which was given life through the Kau Tulī programme, explains Arizona.
“Each Kau Tulī member was requited to deliver a wellbeing initiative and I wanted to devise something that would transcend our era of youth and be impactful for youth we may never meet.”
Aligning with goal four of Lalanga Fou, the Dear Great Grands audio series shares voice recordings from 15 Oceanian youth to the generation of youth in 100 years.
“It activates in two phases,” Arizona says.
“The first phase is set in the present as a podcast series, 15 recordings readily available to the youth of today.
“The second phase is the legacy piece - in partnership with the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Dear Great Grands will be re-released in 100 years to the youth of the future.
“That way our future youth will be able to listen to their ancestors wildest dreams without any doubt and hopefully, they will record their own stories and continue our history.”
Arizona is hopeful the initiative can speak to the generations we may never be able to physically meet but who we fight for today, while also encouraging more Pacific communities to create their own oral history by recording the stories, voices of elders and youth.
“That way, we can continue to be the authors of our stories and so our children can hear our hopes and dreams, in our own authentic voice.”
Supported by MPP and Ministry Advisor Janelle Augsberg, Dear Great Grands has enabled Arizona to play her part as a daughter of the Moana while making a meaningful contribution to the future fabric of Pacific Aotearoa.
Listen to Dear Great Grands on Spotify and follow on Instagram.