The NUS-Faculty of Business and Entrepreneurship (FOBE) launched the ‘Afa Project”, a
remarkable initiative aimed at promoting and preserving Samoa’s rich and vibrant cultural heritage
for future generations; led by Aliimalemanu Dr. Bernadette Samau Sila, Head of Department for
Management and Marketing, and Muliagatele Sesilia Lauano, Head of Department for Accounting
and Economics. Through this collaborative project, NUS has donated four traditional Samoan
sinnet garments to four prominent museums in Europe, showcasing Samoa’s cultural textile
artistry and craftsmanship to a global audience.
The ‘Afa Project has three primary objectives: to promote and preserve Samoa’s cultural heritage,
encourage and empower emerging researchers to engage in research and publication, and
creating local and international collaboration opportunities. The project was made possible
through funding provided by the Education Sector Funding (ESF).
The talented weavers, Falenaoti Juliana Joy Tuiletufuga and Sala Tuiletufuga Ulu designed and
crafted the beautiful garments that are now on display in the Europe museums. The team behind
this impressive project consists of Aliimalemanu Dr. Bernadette Samau Sila, Muliagatele Sesilia
Lauano, Falenaoti Juliana Joy Tuiletufuga, her daughter Sala Tuiletufuga Ulu and Rachel Bell.
Dr. Bernadette and Muliagatele represented NUS and departed Samoa on June 14th to visit four
museums in Europe: Übersee-Museum Bremen in Germany, Wereld Museum in Leiden,
Netherlands; The National Museum of World Culture in Stockholm, Sweden; and The Museum Five
Continents in Munich, Germany. During their journey, they delivered six presentations at the
museums before proceeding to Prague, Czech Republic to present their conference papers.
The sinnet garments donated to the museums are a representation of Samoa’s rich cultural
heritage and each garment was officially handed over to the museum directors, adding to their
respective collections.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to share our cultural heritage with the world,” said
Aliimalemanu Dr. Bernadette Samau Sila, the project leader. “This gesture not only preserves our
cultural traditions but also promotes cross-cultural understanding.”
The donation of these exquisite traditional sinnet garments to prominent museums in Europe is a
significant achievement of the National University of Samoa that will pave the way for future
collaborations and research initiatives.

About the ‘Afa Project
The NUS – FOBE ‘Afa Project is an attempt to preserve our Samoan cultural heritage both locally
and globally through various initiatives such as research, education, and community engagement.
The project focuses on the importance of coconut fiber as material culture in arts and crafts. One
of its themes is a wedding or evening dress made from traditional materials bark and coconut
fibre.