5 surprising facts about Samoa that we have experienced during our stay

5 surprising facts about Samoa that we have experienced during our stay

after almost a month in Samoa - a country in which we fell in love - we reveal five incredibly surprising facts about Samoa, which we learned during our stay

Surprising facts about Samoa

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If you asked to name the most religious countries in the world, your list would probably be similar. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would be at the top as well as Brazil and Italy. In the spectrum from Saudi to Sweden, I would classify Samoa somewhere in the middle, especially with regard to the Abrahamitic religions. It turned out that I would be wrong.

When we drove from Samoa's main airport to the capital Apia on a Sunday evening, we met more than 40 men in warning protection jackets that lined the streets of the villages.

The driver explained that between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. these men "guarded" the villages from outsiders so that the residents can pray. Passing cars have to do this quickly and quietly, otherwise you risk being thrown at stones.

surprised by the zeal, I asked if this occurs every Sunday or whether it was a special occasion. He met me in the mirror and said: "Every day."

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First I thought it was a brave lone fighter who works for a particularly open -minded employer. He was dressed in women's clothing and had a full face with make-up, well-groomed brows and shaved skin while serving customers in a retail business. And then I saw another man who was dressed in a similar way - and another one.

I soon learned that these men were fa’afafine, a third gender that was recognized and accepted in Samoan society at least since the early 20th century. Fa’afafine are born as men, but live as women. They do not identify themselves as "gay", but they enter into relationships with other men who, incidentally, are not fa’afafins themselves and do not identify themselves as gay (more information here).

One of the most surprising facts about Samoa is that the Samoan ideas of sexuality seem to be quite complex. However, it is encouraging that the Fa’Afafine can coexist with the deeply religious way of thinking of the population.

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According to the World Factbook of the CIA, more than half of the Samoan population is obese. This alarming fact is not only due to genetic predisposition or even pure colons, but to a historical conviction that obesity is a symbol of health, prosperity and happiness.

It is said that village leaders (matai) were historically most fed in terms of quantity and quality and therefore obesity was regarded as a status symbol.

This was tightened by western colonization as the possibility of buying and consuming imported products - normally with low nutritional value - meant prosperity.

Locals tell us that the attitude to the better has changed, especially since government initiatives are used to investigate the population. Hopefully this will lead to a trend reversal.

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The woman plucked on my sleeve. In the crowded walk of the bus, I carefully turned to her. She pointed to her lap and asked if I wanted to sit down. I politely rejected.

When I finally got a place half an hour later, I found myself next to a father and daughter, whom I smiled at with a hello. After a few stops, the man got up and left the bus without a word. I realized that it was not a father and daughter, but two strangers (if there could be something like that in Samoa). It was both surprising and encouraging.

buses in Savai’i, Samoa's second main island, are basically a constant new configuration of the seating plan: people stand, sit, offer their rounds and exchange the seats to get the maximum number of people on the bus and, wherever possible, to sit comfortably.

It is a strong contrast to London, where even older and pregnant people fight for a seat.

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From independence from 1962 to 1990, only Samoas Matai (owner of family chief titles) were allowed to choose. This meant that only about 9 % of the population had a say in the government of their country.

The Situation has developed significantly, but to this day only Matai can run for the government and exclude large parts of the population.

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