Artist Jason Pereira’s “Path to leadership”
by Daniel Pouesi
Long Beach, California, known for its bright nightlife and fine dining, waterfront attractions, music and cultural festivals, is home to some half a million people—among them second- and third-generation Samoans. Like others, Samoans are drawn to the city for various reasons—affordable housing, the city’s provincial feel, neighborhood and community activities, and, for the art lovers, artist collectives. Brochures touting the city’s proclivity for diversity direct visitors to places like the MOLAA (a museum of contempotary Latin American Art) and its younger sibling, PIEAM, the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum—the site of a recent Samoan exhibition by artifact collectors, Falanai and Lisa Ala. In short, Long Beach has something for everyone.
But, like all cities, Long Beach has a murky side. There are the usual violent crimes —murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults. Many say they are spiraling out of control. Earlier this year, the Long Beach Business Journal reported: “Despite the number of murders falling to an historic low last year, violent crime in Long Beach has skyrocketed – up 36.8% over a four-year period ending December 2017.” What the report find troubling is: none of the other large California cities (e.g. San Francisco or Oakland) “…approached the percentage increase registered in Long Beach.” North Long Beach, according to some, is especially prone to violent crimes because of certain “unneighborly” elements.
The job of art is to chase ugliness away (Irish singer and lyricist Bono).
In one effort to beautify and bring unity to this part of the city, the council enlisted the help of local artists to create roadside murals. When the call for concepts went out, Samoan artist, Jason Pereira (JP), was among the many who responded with ideas. Sketched on a piece of paper no larger than 5×11, Jason’s concept depicted a taupou (Samoan village maiden) preparing the traditional ‘ava drink. Her extended arms direct the viewer to the popular Samoan proverbial expression: O le ala i le pule o le tautua (The path to leadership is service). “[Tautua] is a foundational principle of Samoan culture that I wanted to share with the community of North Long Beach,” Jason wrote on his Facebook page. “It’s a diverse community, with many nationalities and ethnicities contributing to the growth and welfare of the neighborhoods around here.” Beyond a simple desire to share a slice of his culture, the muralist hoped the piece of folk wisdom would “…give a voice and a sense of honor to the Samoan community.”
City officials, the artist’s parents (Architect Joe and Christian NGO founder, Flo Pereira), Trustee Vivian Malauulu, NPIEN founder and educator, Dr. Victor Thompson, the mural’s model, and scores of friends and admirers attended the dedication ceremony, Saturday, September 8. Council member, Rex Richardson, called the mural the first of its kind in Long Beach and possibly all of California. In a warm, and at times, emotional speech, Jason reiterated his hope Tautua will serve as a reminder of the colorful traditions the various communities had contributed to Long Beach. Richardson saw the potential the moment he held the sketch. “No matter what happens,” he assured Jason, “whether they vote for it or not, this is going up.” If the council member had any doubt, it lasted briefly. Of the fifty or so submissions, Tautua easily topped the art council’s and the community’s lists for city murals. The committee, and later community representatives, thought “…the mural was perfect.”
Creativity takes courage (French artist Henri Matisse).
The decision to use Jason’s Tautua is already paying dividend. “This particular [brick] wall,” said one official, “was tagged (graffitied) twelve times in 2017. This mural’s been up for a while and it hasn’t been tagged.” He expressed “a hope that the site will be respected by the community.”
For Jason, the artist who wanted simply to share his heritage, hope arrived early in a pleasant and unexpected way. At the wall one night, gangsters approached him with a query. “Hey, what does that mean, man?” one asked, referring to the proverbial expression. Jason explained. Then recited the words. They repeated it. “Hey, I like that, man,” said another. “That’s cool. Keep it going, we got you. It’s a beautiful thing you’re bringing new energy to this place.”
New energy could be a good thing. For this part of North Long Beach, a brick wall transformed into a work of beauty may be just the spark it needs to lift and encourage. Expanding the mural’s reach, Jason added a Spanish translation of the Samoan proverb. French artist, Henri Matisse’s words (“Creativity takes courage”) ring true for the Samoan muralist. In spite of the hurdles (someone once attempted to deprive him of his scaffold) Jason persisted. He endured long hours of set-up each day following the incident. But along the path, he received help and encouragement from his friend and mentor—Santa Ana College Professor of Art, Darren Hostetter. Well-wishers and the neighboring Malamalama (Light) Congregational church, too, provided food and an occasional pot of Samoan Koko Alaisa. Indeed, as Trustee Vivian Malauulu suggested in a congratulatory speech, it takes determination and boldness to give birth to an idea and share it with others. No doubt, Jason would agree with Malauulu and with the German playwright Goethe who reportedly said: “Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
The mural is located at 6850 Long Beach Blvd. Long Beach, California.