Page 34 - IB July 2021

Culture Culture
HARNESSING THE POWER OF MUSIC

TO DECOLONISE THE MIND

By Rowena Singh

“Performing is more than just me standing up and singing a
song in front of people; it is a chance for me to share a vision
and a mission,” says Tonga’s Mia Kami.
Kami’s original songs are full of meaning, delivered in her
warm, effortless voice.
A student at the University of the South Pacific, an activist
and a musician, Kami is passionate about indigenous knowl-
edge, climate activism and decolonising the mind.
Kami, who currently calls Fiji home, says her zest and inspi-
ration for music and activism, comes from her father, Taholo,
himself a well-known climate, oceans and community activist.
“He taught me my first chords on the guitar, he always en-
couraged me to sing for people and to keep writing songs. We
also share similar passions, so we have these big discussions
together. Although, not always in agreement, they’re still
great discussions nonetheless!”
“It was those discussions that helped develop my interest
in using music as a means of sharing how I felt about certain
issues.”
“My dad would always tell me to sing at his meetings and
MIA KAMI I’d have to find songs about change or hope or anything that
would fit the theme of the meeting,” says Kami. “As I started
getting into songwriting, I realised I could actually write my
own songs about change!”
Kami says that she sees music, and art in general, as a
beautiful way to shed light on issues.
“As I got older, I started to find more and more songs about
activism and I realised that I can do the same thing too,”
says Kami. “I had written my first “activist song” in 2018. It’s
called “History” and it’s a song about how we need to move
forward together to help make a difference. After I had writ-
ten it, I remember feeling this strong emotional connection to
it after I sang it for the first time.”
Kami says that she was surrounded by music growing up.
“I grew up singing with my late sister, Tae,” says Kami. “She
would always tell me to sing with her and at the time, I never
really wanted to, but she would insist. She would tell me that
God has blessed me with a gift and I should not be afraid to
share it. After she passed away, I started learning the guitar
because it was one of the things that made me feel connected
to her.”

“This is my mana, my spirit, my soul”
Kami says that indigenous and climate activism is something
she has practiced over the past five years, and that it has
grown into a deep passion for the work she does today.
She says that her USP politics class taught her to learn
about the Pacific and the history of colonisation through a
Pacific lens.
“I was suddenly taught a narrative I was never really
exposed to before,” says Kami. “I guess you could say my

34 Islands Business, July 2021