Sapa'u Ruperake Petaia (born 11 April 1951) is a poet and writer from

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

. His poem ''Blue Rain'' became the title of a collection of his poems first published in 1980 with later editions in the 1990s. The collection included the satirical poem ''Kidnapped'' (1974) which explores themes about the loss of traditional Samoan knowledge. Like other Samoan writers such as Albert Wendt, Petaia's work explores themes about the effects of

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

and Western influences on Samoan culture and society. Petaia was born in Samoa. He attended Samoa College and worked as a clerk in the Public Service Commission in 1973. In 1978 he won a government scholarship to study at the University of the South Pacific in

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

. In 1980, he graduated with a B.A. in Public Administration and Economic Geography. He returned to Samoa where he has since continued to work in the public service in management roles. In 1992, his poetry ''Patches of the Rainbow'' was published in the Samoa Observer.Retrieved 17 November 2009 Petaia witnessed the 1994 two-wheeled landing of Polynesian Airlines Flight PH844 at Faleolo International Airport, and wrote ''The Miracle'' based on a number of passenger accounts of the event.

References

1951 births Living people Samoan chiefs Samoan male poets 20th-century Samoan poets 20th-century male writers {{Samoa-bio-stub 21st-century Samoan poets 21st-century male writers Samoan poets Samoan writers