Brown Brother experience

Joshua Iosefa. He sent shockwaves through the media when his friend posted a video of him reciting a poem called ‘Brown Brother’. Our intermediate students were lucky enough to sit and watch him recite his poem about the life and troubles of an ordinary polynesian. He talked about teenage pregnancy and how someone can have so much potential but fall into the trap of pregnancy. In the poem, he says he is sick and tired of polynesians sticking to their stereotypical jobs, like being a garbage truck driver or a restaurant waiter . The thing that also irritates him is that polynesians think that they are at the bottom of the food chain. We asked a lot of questions afterwards. We found out that his inspirations are his parents and his grandparents. He said that he interviewed his grandparents about their journey from poverty to having a big family and being successful. He taught us a motto. Hook, anchor and launch. This means if you want to become a lawyer or a performer, you have to hook it. Anchor means you stay grounded and launch means you have to launch to your dream.

This experience was very inspirational and educational and we learnt the message of this very meaningful poem. It was that no matter what culture you are, what colour you skin is: You can make your dream come true, you just have to set your mind to it. He also said, and I quote: ‘We have to set high standards for future generations to come’.