(Picture caption: Our Koviki Tears - Love from the Indigenous Queens and Kings, 2023 was produced with support from the Pacific Aotearoa Community Outreach – Omicron Fund.)
Founder of Indigenous Queens (iQ) Talanoa Trust Maureen Mariner Fepulea’i believes words are so powerful, they are suffocating if they remain inside us.
This belief led to Pacific women and men sharing their truths about their COVID-19 experiences, in the pages of Love from the Indigenous Queens and Kings, 2023.
Launched in May 2023, the book features stories from 70 courageous writers ranging from the ages of 10 to 76 years old and offers a glimpse into personal struggles, reflections, and hopeful moments emerging from the COVID-19 lockdowns in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Maureen says funding from the Pacific Aotearoa Community Outreach (PACO) – Omicron Fund enabled iQ Talanoa Trust to engage with writers, collate stories, publish 600 books, launch the book as well as hold vaccination and COVID-19 workshops.
Established to support Pacific communities to prepare, respond and recover from the social and health impacts of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) facilitated fund was part of $18 million in government funding for COVID-19 announced in February 2022.
“This initiative has really helped to empower Pacific communities through storytelling, by creating a platform for individuals to share their stories and experiences,” Maureen says.
“Through Our Koviki Tears, the initiative has given voice to Pacific individuals, allowing them to share their perspectives, challenges and triumphs during the COVID-19 lockdowns.”
A notable achievement of iQ Talanoa Trust's initiative has been empowering Pacific males to contribute to writing and openly discuss their struggles with mental health, she adds.
“Encouraging male participation in storytelling has helped to break down stigma and promote understanding.”
Since its launch, copies of Our Koviki Tears have been distributed to Auckland libraries, to expand the book’s reach while ensuring more people have access to these stories.
The iQ Talanoa Trust was initially created to support “indigenous Queens” considering a return to study after years away from the classroom.
Maureen was inspired to help mature students like her, after taking up tertiary education and completing a degree in Applied Counselling in her 40s.
The Trust provides mental, emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual support for iQueens and their families, especially in the wake of the pandemic.
Community members of this groups reside in the greater Auckland area, Hamilton, Wellington, South Island, Australia, Samoa and the United States.
“We wanted to create a space where Pacific women who wanted to return to study had a safe space where they could access any study, support or even just come and vent without any judgement,” Maureen says.
“Pacific women from all walks of life have come to break bread, to celebrate and commiserate together, and their stories and experiences are what unites them.”
Visit the iQ Talanoa website to order your copy.