When Arieta Rika first discovered poetry at a young age, she realised she had found a vessel to pour out her experiences, emotions and stories.
Drawing inspiration from hip hop and rap, this later transferred to numerous journal entries that has inspired her written work.
A lot has changed for Arieta over the past few years, but her passion for poetry remains intact.
Those changes include becoming a mother to two daughters, Faith Vaciseva Ateca Melino (5 years old), and Elenoa Amelia Lilikakimoana (10 months old), who dedicated her new poetry collection titled Kalokalo.
Kalokalo which means stars or constellations in Fijian, dives into Arietas journey through motherhood or as she calls it her “rambles and rants”
With the birth of her first born daughter, alongside dealing with the sudden passing of her father, coupled with a global pandemic, she leaned on her writings as a tool to help her cope with the emotions at that time.
“I wrote them after the birth of my eldest daughter Faith, who’s now 5 and you know they were just ramblings you know. I was just trying to express myself after having a baby” Arieta said.
“I’m narrating it to my daughter, Faith, and I’m telling her about a time where I used to be with my dad as a young child, and we would drive between Suva and Nadi in Fiji, and I would line the back of the car and watch the stars”
“I’m telling her that the stars that she looks at, I’ve seen them before, and you know wherever her stars land, I hope that they land softly and safely”
Kalokalo is a collection of 20+ poetry pieces which opens up on her journey through motherhood, but more so the fluctuation of emotions that come with the journey.
“They talk about grief. Talk about my relationship with my husband and you know the ups and downs of all other relationships in my life. Really. So with my sisters, my siblings, my parents. It’s just an expression and overall”
“It’s something that I can leave behind for my children. You know my kids are so young. I feel like when they’re older, it’s something they can pick up, and it will help them to understand me”
Arieta has also used her work as a way to champion her Fijian roots.Through her collected poems in Kalokalo, there are hints of the Fijian language through the titles and words of the poems.
“English is actually my third language. Fijian is first and Tongan second”
“Given I am of Pacific and indigenous cultures, I figured that incorporating it in my work and writings is such an important moment for it”
Aiding Arieta on the project is the help of Studio Kiin and Rarama Ink, an all female Indigenous led collective base working across Australia, New Zealand and pacific region.
Rarama Ink has set out to launch Kalokalo on the 23-25 August which will also be their debut publication as a publishing company.
Emele Ugavule who is a close friend of Arietas and member of the Rarama Ink team was one of the first few people to read Kalokalo and immediately felt the need to assist in getting it published.
“It’s interesting, because I thought that the poems were quite generic,” Arieta stated.
“But when she (Emele) read them she felt like she was listening in on a conversation between me and my daughter. So she’s got boys which to me is different from having girls, so I felt really special that she got to connect and have an insight into those”
The aim of Kalokalo is to inspire and connect readers who have similar or different journeys as Arieta.
But to her, there are only two people she wants and hopes to be inspired through Kalokalo; her two daughters.
“They don’t know anything about it because they are too young,” Arieta laughed.
“I think that I would like them to know that I’m a writer as they grow up. My older daughter, Faith, has her own interest in writing, which I think is pretty cool”
“She’s an early writer and reader, for her age, and so we want to nurture that, but I think I want her to just find it in her own time. And you know who knows? She might want to talk to me about it, or she might just keep it. But yeah, you’re right. I’m waiting for the right time”
As she nears the launch date for her work, Arieta is in a mix of feelings of the occasion, especially with opening her personal work to the public.
“I wouldn’t normally talk about these things with my friends and my family, let alone people that I’ve never met before.They are really personal work”
“You know, there’s a feeling of excitement. But also, you know, a little bit of anxiety, a little bit of nervousness. I’m looking forward to seeing what the reception is to the book”
More info on the launch of Kalokalo can be found here
