Reina Kapiolani Pahulu, Producer of The Mo’unga Project and Manava Circle | “I’m a First-Gen American, Queer, Tongan, Brown Diaspora Kid Learning to Navigate Those Identities”
Reina Kapiolani Pahulu, Producer of The Mo’unga Project & Manava Circle | I’m a First-Gen American, Queer, Tongan, Brown Diaspora Kid Learning to Navigate Those Identities”
Poet and Pasifika community advocate, Reina Kapiolani Pahulu, shares why she created The Manava Circle and The Mo’unga Project — community projects that empower Pasifika communities.
Tell us about your background and where you grew up.
I’m Tongan-American, born in Hawai’i but raised in California. I’m a first-gen American, Queer, Tongan, Brown diaspora kid learning to navigate those identities. I am considered transgender per western standards. Back home, we are leiti. It’s a word that was brought over by colonizers, taken, and shortened.
There’s no one really protecting queer Pasifika people in the U.S. I have to be my own advocate. My own protector. Queer people are constantly vilified in society/media. Being in this body and navigating this world is dangerous. I have to be fearless by nature. My existence is polarized. People see me and immediately think ‘policy’. I’m a walking U.S. political agenda. That colors how I navigate the world, and it’s a lifelong journey.
How was your educational experience?
I got straight A’s in high school, but once I got to college, I just hated it. The western higher education system didn’t feel like it was made with us in mind. Programs didn’t feel accessible, and I couldn’t connect with others on campus. If you can’t imagine seeing yourself, it’s harder to navigate those spaces.
I dropped out of college 3 times and haven’t felt the desire to go back. At some point, I might find the resolve, time, resources, and energy to go back, but for now, it’s not something I can add to my life.
Reina Kapiolani Pahulu, Producer of The Mo’unga Project & Manava Circle | I’m a First-Gen American, Queer, Tongan, Brown Diaspora Kid Learning to Navigate Those Identities”
You’re working on a few Pasifika community projects. What was the inspiration behind each one?
Each project came out of a need to feel represented and seen in the media. I thought to myself, if I didn’t do it, who would do it for me? I hated waiting for permissions and just went for it.
My first project was The Manava Circle — a writing circle dedicated to Pasifika women where we do writing and journaling workshops. Before starting it, I thought long and hard about the lack of spaces, outside of school and athletics, for our women to commune, feel safe, be vulnerable, and heal without varying constructs. Pre-covid, I was hosting in-person writing circles every other week, but we’ve now pivoted to online workshops.
After nearly one year of hosting these workshops, I told myself, if I can do this, nothing is stopping me from working on other Pasifika projects. That’s when I conceived The Mo’unga Project. This came out of a need to find media with Pasifika voices having critical conversations about various topics centering on our society. It feels like a lot of our older generations, and some upcoming, are just consuming media blindly — meme culture, the spread of misinformation — like rapid fire. I just want to create a space to think critically as participants in this system/society. While our first few podcast episodes have been centered around Polynesian voices, my goal is for the Mo’unga Project to reflect more of Oceania.
Reina Kapiolani Pahulu, Producer of The Mo’unga Project & Manava Circle | I’m a First-Gen American, Queer, Tongan, Brown Diaspora Kid Learning to Navigate Those Identities”
What are your thoughts on Pasifika representation in higher education and in the media?
I grew up when there were very limited forms of tech (no iPhone) so Pasifika representation in higher education or in the media felt nearly non-existent. While the tech expansion offers more media avenues, Pasifika representation still feels so limited. I’m so happy though to see some PI’s infiltrating spaces in the media. We’re beginning to share our people and our wholeness.