July 13 – 17. The U.S Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, Scott Brown and Mrs Gail Brown visited Samoa last week to commemorate American Independence with a reception held at the U.S Residence in Vailima. Honored guests included Their Highnesses Head of State Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi & Masiofo Faamausili; the Prime Minister of Samoa, Honorable Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi; Cabinet Ministers, Heads of the Diplomatic Corps; and Embassy friends.
The night was filled with laughter and joy as the great American spirit of celebration was felt by everyone. The star of the show was young Maryanne Savaiinaea, who played piano and sung both national anthems!
And of course the night would not have been complete without a few sparklers
Over the weekend, the Ambassador toured Savaii to visit several USAID project sites, future school construction projects, and of course, to see the sights of the Big Island.
The highlight of the trip was a field visit to explore the archaeological findings of Samoa’s prehistory. Funded by the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, the National University of Samoa now has the country’s only online archaeological and built heritage database, which record prehistoric settlements like this one in Palauli.
On Tuesday morning, July 17 Ambassador and Mrs. Brown attended the launch of the Samoa Voyaging Society’s (SVS) Va’a Based Environmental Education Campaign “Guardians”, at Apia Yacht Club. The campaign follows the success of a similar campaign launched in 2017 “Sa Moana Folauga”, which the U.S. Government was proudly able to support. This Guardians voyage will see SVS’ traditional canoe Gaualofa tour both Upolu and Savaii island, conducting environmental education programs at various stops in villages along the way.
Later on in the morning an official meeting took place between the Ambassador and Prime Minister Tuilaepa.
To top off the trip, the Ambassador and Mrs. Brown made one quick stop at the Ambassador’s adopted school, Magiagi Primary. Students gathered together in an honorary march pass to greet the Ambassador and Mrs Gail, followed by traditional song and dance. The day concluded with the Ambassador addressing the school with a small donation of sports gear to further encourage healthy living and exercise.
