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Faaolo Utumapu-Utailesolo’s DJP film “Dramatic Waves of Change” a Finalist in International Film Festival 

July 29, 2024

APIA, Samoa – Early one morning in May, Faaolo Utumapu-Utailesolo awoke to an unexpected message from a friend. Her film “Dramatic Waves of Change” was a finalist in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival – an annual event that challenges filmmakers to create short films (five minutes or less) celebrating the achievements and abilities of people with disabilities. “It means a lot. I was quite surprised they selected the film,” says Utumapu-Utailesolo.

“Dramatic Waves of Change” highlights the dangers of climate change in the Pacific nation of Kiribati and the impact the crisis is having on people with disabilities. The film spotlights the work of Ruby Nabetari, a disabled advocate who uses drama to educate others about climate change. Driven by a passion for the subject, Utumapu-Utailesolo, who is blind, completed the film in less than two weeks during a Disability Justice Project (DJP) documentary storytelling workshop in Samoa. Using an iPhone, which provides image descriptions for blind users and has other accessibility features, she interviewed Nabetari, captured footage, and collaborated with a DJP editor on selecting and ordering shots for the final video.

Despite her shock at being named a finalist, Utumapu-Utailesolo’s ability to produce a captivating film in less than two weeks is a testament to her dedication and skill. In Samoa, where she has spent most of her life, Utumapu-Utailesolo is known for being a changemaker. And with one quick glance at her list of achievements, it’s easy to see why.

Early Years

The eldest daughter of two educators, Utumapu-Utailesolo grew up largely in Upolo, Samoa, in the ’70s and ’80s. Much of her life — including her schooling — revolved around the church since her father was a minister. When she was a child, public schools in Samoa were not accommodating to people with disabilities. “At that time, inclusive education was not something that was welcomed. It was not something that was widely understood [or] widely accepted here in Samoa,” she says.

So, Utumapu-Utailesolo attended the Methodist primary school, which on the contrary, was “welcoming.” While school resources were limited due to a lack of government funding, a nonprofit organization in Samoa provided Utumapu-Utailesolo with educational materials that used Braille. “I was privileged,” she says.

Utumapu-Utailesolo fully immersed herself in the community and joined the Sunday school choir. “I would like to think that I was quite inclusive in the way I was raised because I was not excluded from the activities that my siblings were expected to join,” says Utumapu-Utailesolo, who has two sisters and two brothers.

She was also surrounded by cousins growing up and students from faraway villages. In parts of Samoa, some children had to travel two to three hours to get to school, and transportation was “irregular and unreliable.” Because her parents were principals at the Methodist high school, Utumapu-Utailesolo’s aunts, uncles, and other extended family members sent their children to live with her family and enrolled them in the Methodist school system. “I’ve got a lot of other siblings that I sometimes can’t tell if they’re real siblings or adopted because we were all raised together,” she says, laughing.

But it’s that sense of community that Utumapu-Utailesolo loves about Samoa. “Samoa is a very communal, family-oriented place,” she says. And while food and money were not in abundance, Utumapu-Utailesolo says living with her cousins taught her to be more appreciative: “We learned to be grateful for what we had.”  

A Series of Firsts

As inclusive as the Methodist school system was, Utumapu-Utailesolo was unable to sit for the national school certificate exams and university entrance exams in Samoa because they were not offered in Braille. Her parents helped her apply for a scholarship to finish high school in New Zealand, where she’d be able to take the exams. As the first person with a disability in Samoa to receive a scholarship to study abroad, Utumapu-Utailesolo packed up her belongings and headed off to New Zealand, leaving her parents, siblings, and cousins back in Samoa. “It was something that I had to get used to, to leave everything that I knew just to go away and get the scholarship and finish my education,” she says.

Receiving another scholarship after high school, Utumapu-Utailesolo continued her studies at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, this time pursuing an undergraduate degree in communications with a focus on radio. Even before high school, she had known she wanted to pursue radio. But what Utumapu-Utailesolo didn’t know was that parts of the medium — such as the editing process — wouldn’t be accessible to people who were blind. “I felt like it’s quite ironic that radio is a sound medium, and yet the equipment that they were using was quite inaccessible at the time.” While a university lecturer helped her edit her radio documentaries, Utumapu-Utailesolo says she still “felt unsatisfied” by her experience. Based on feedback from Utumapu-Utailesolo and other DJP filmmakers, the Disability Justice Project is collaborating with software developers to enhance the accessibility of video and audio editing platforms for filmmakers who are blind, have low vision, or other disabilities.

After graduating from Auckland University of Technology, Utumapu-Utailesolo returned home to Samoa and worked for Radio Polynesia from 2000 to 2004. Samoa still wasn’t very inclusive of people with disabilities, though. Compared to New Zealand, there was more work that needed to be done for the disability community. “I think that I’m much more needed here in Samoa. I think if I stayed abroad, I would have everything I need,” Utumapu-Utailesolo explains, “whereas here, there’s a lot more that’s needed to be done to raise awareness about disability and especially to raise awareness about inclusive and equity for persons with disabilities in society.”

So, she got to work. While writing scripts and broadcasting the news at Radio Polynesia, Utumapu-Utailesolo and about a dozen other people with disabilities launched Nuanua O Le Alofa (NOLA) — a disability advocacy organization — in 2001. NOLA became the first organization run by people with disabilities in Samoa. “At that time, that kind of concept of persons with disabilities actually leading their own organization was unheard of,” she says.

Utumapu-Utailesolo says she had no idea where or how to start an organization. “[Advocacy] is not something that came naturally to me,” she explains. The founders of NOLA began by raising awareness about why it’s important for the voices of people with disabilities to be heard. “We can speak. We can advocate,” she says. “Why should we let other people speak on behalf of persons with disabilities?” Eventually, after years of effort, the government began to acknowledge NOLA as the voice of people with disabilities.

Recognized for her advocacy work, Utumapu-Utailesolo earned a scholarship from the Australian Leadership Awards to complete her master’s degree from 2008 to 2009 at Monash University in Australia. Once again, she packed up her belongings and left Samoa, this time earning an advanced degree in communications and media studies.

Again, she returned to Samoa after completing her degree. “She has a passion for the Samoan community and culture, as well as for the disability community,” says Ari Hazelman, the disability inclusive officer for the Samoa Blind Persons Association.

Utumapu-Utailesolo landed a job at Samoa Quality Broadcasting, where she worked in radio and TV news from 2010 to 2012. People were taking note of her work. “Faaolo was breaking a lot of barriers in terms of working for several radio stations at the time, where she would be reading the news over the radio using Braille,” says Hazelman, who is also blind. He first met Utumapu-Utailesolo in 2011 when he began working part-time at the radio station over the holidays.

Making Samoa More Inclusive

Throughout her life, Utumapu-Utailesolo has advocated for people with disabilities. She served as the president of the Samoa Blind Persons Association and general secretary of NOLA, was a volunteer at the Deaf Association of Samoa, and served on the Samoan government’s disability sub-sector committee. Utumapu-Utailesolo also coordinated campaigns for SENESE Inclusive Education Support Services, an organization that provides education and support services for children with disabilities in Samoa.  

“She’s the most qualified person of our siblings,” says Mata’afa Fa’atino Utumapu, Utumapu-Utailesolo’s youngest sister and NOLA’s general manager. Even so, “she’s still the humble person you can talk to. Out of all our family members, she’s one of the most approachable.”

Education & Mentorship

It’s those characteristics — dedicated and approachable — that make Utumapu-Utailesolo a great educator. In 2017, she was appointed as a lecturer in the media and journalism program at the National University of Samoa, making her the first blind person to be employed by the university.

While she left that position after two years to accept her current role as the Program Officer for the Pacific Island Countries for the Disability Rights Fund, Utumapu-Utailesolo has continued mentoring members of her community in other ways.  

Take last year’s Disability Justice Project documentary storytelling workshop, for example. In June 2023, she joined a cohort of Indigenous activists with disabilities from across the Pacific for a two-week training in Samoa on how to use iPhones to film documentaries. Utumapu-Utailesolo helped the activists choose story topics and discern the best angles for the stories. “She’s very easy to approach, while at the same time, [she gives] you practical and also sensible advice,” says Hazelman, who attended the training.

“Dramatic Waves of Change“

In addition to helping others create documentaries, Utumapu-Utailesolo created her own film, “Dramatic Waves of Change,” during the workshop. Through her video, a finalist in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival, Utumapu-Utailesolo hopes to emphasize the importance of including people with disabilities in emergency preparedness planning. “Do not leave people with disabilities behind when [you] plan, implement, and monitor programs regarding climate change and disaster,” she says.

Plus, after watching Ruby Nabetari (the main subject of her video) use theater to advocate for environmental and disability justice, Utumapu-Utailesolo hopes others will be inspired to advocate in creative ways, too.

What’s Next?

While she is passionate about advocating for the disability community, Utumapu-Utailesolo always makes time for her family, including her 11-year-old son. “Everything is for him,” says Sa Utailesolo, Utumapu-Utailesolo’s husband and the finance and administrative coordinator of NOLA. Plus, she is also helping to raise her two nephews. “She always makes time for us,” Utailesolo adds.

In between time with her family, work, choir, and providing free piano lessons to youths in her church, Utumapu-Utailesolo has her mind set on making more films that advocate for people with disabilities: “A lot more needs to be done,” she says. “A lot more awareness … a lot more resources need to be put into the work that the [organizations of persons with disabilities] are doing to promote the rights of persons with disabilities.” Utumapu-Utailesolo isn’t stopping any time soon.

Michaela Quigley is a journalist and fact-checker. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in media advocacy at Northeastern University.