Ko Whae Carmen Tēnei

Kia takahia te Rori o Cuba ka kite koe i te tāne kākāriki, moroiti hoki i ngā rama whitinga rori, otirā ko te whakaata tērā o Carmen me ana hū teitei, uru whakapīwari nui hoki. I mua noa atu i te kapohanga o tana āhua ki te kiriata, i kōrerotia tana oranga e tēnei wahine hautupua ki te pakipūmeka o Carmen, i te tau 1989, nā Geoff Steven te ringa tohu. I whakaatuhia te kiriata nei i te Wellington Pride Festival i te tau 2020 me ngā kōrero whakamihi ki a ia me āna kaupapa tuku iho.

E tika ana ia hei rama kākāriki, nā Carmen i para i te huarahi ki te ao ‘tū tika’ o Aotearoa. He mea whakameremere ia i te rori o Cuba i ngā tau 1960, 1970 hoki, ka arua e ia te koromatuatanga o Pōneke i te tau 1977. Ka akia e ia kia heke te pakeke inu ki te 18 tau, kia tuwhera tonu ngā hōtera tae noa ki te 12 i te pō, kia whai wāhi te mahi kairau ki roto i te ture, me te takatāpuitanga, kia akohia hoki ngā āhuatanga ai ki ngā kura.

Hero image: Framegrab of Carmen Rupe from the documentary 'Carmen'.

He Haerenga Hokinga Mahara Papai

He whakawahine te āhua o ēnei hokinga mahara, me te uiui hoki ki tēnei wahine nui. Ka whāia a Carmen e te kāmera i a ia e haere ana ki ngā wāhi nui mōna – ko tana kāinga tupu o Taumarunui, ngā wāhi mahi o mua me ngā rori kua takahia e ia. I tētehi rori i Tāmaki, ka kōrerotia tana pai ki te kuhu kahu wahine, engari ka mauherehia i te tau 1966 mō te kuhu kahu pērā i waho o te whare. I whakakorehia taua hāmene, engari i mutu ai i reira tana mau kahu tāne. Ka whakaatuhia te āhua moemoeā a Carmen kōtiro (arā a Mika Haka), e hula ana me tana hūtu pango. I a ia e kani ana ka pārekareka haere ana kahu. Ka kuhu i ngā mea wahine – he panekoti poto, he rei, he pani kanohi, ka roa ana makawe – mutu kau ana kua huka kē katoa tana kahu me tana pari putiputi. Mutu ana te kanikani me te ātaahua o te panekoti pō, me tana whakakai kahurangi. Kua tohua e Carmen tana ake mana.

Tirohia ētahi atu tāngata rongonui i Carmen. Ko Dalvanius Prime tētahi o ngā kaiārahi a Poi E mō te Rōpū o Pātea me te waiata “Poi E” – nāna ngā waiata a te kiriata. Ka puta mai hoki te mata o Georgina Beyer, te mema whakawahine Pāremata tuatahi o Aotearoa. I mua i tana mahinga tōrangapū, he kaiwhakaari ia, he kairau hoki. Ka puta hoki a Carmen ki te pakipūmeka o Georgie Girl, i te tau 2001.

He Paewhiri Kōrero e Pā Ana ā ki ngā Momo Ira a te Tangata

Nō mua tonu i te lockdown, i te Poutūterangi, 2020, ka whakaatungia a Carmen e Ngā Taonga me Te Whare Pukapuka ā-motu. I pātaihia ngā kaikōrero e Gareth Seymour, arā a Taupuariki, a Tuiloma Samu, a Richard Tankersley, a Piri Te Wao rāua ko Karen Te Wao ‘kia whakaarohia te kiriata me tana taonga tuku iho. He rangatira rawa, ka tuia ngā iwi e Carmen e pai ai te noho a te takatāpui ki tana ao.‘

Nā Richard Tankersley I whakawhānui i te whakaaro kia pai koe ki a koe anō, kia pai hoki koe ki ki ētahi. E hia kē ngā whiri i tō tuakiri – te ira, te hia ira, te iwitanga me ētahi atu. E kī ana ia ‘Kei a tatou anō ō tatou māori... ka hono katoa tātou i runga i te mōhio i ngā āhua o ngā tāngata kē.’

Mehe kei Cuba Stret koe, ā ka tukua koe e Carmen i te huarahi, āta tirohia ngā kanorau i taua takiwā. Kia whakawhiti koe, āta whakaarohia te honotanga o aua haere – heoi anō kei a koe anō te tikanga mō te takatāpui o te āhua o te tirohanga whakamua.

Nā Richard Tankersley I whakawhānui i te whakaaro kia pai koe ki a koe anō, kia pai hoki koe ki ki ētahi.

Mō ngā Kāoarikero

I tupu a Gareth Seymour i Tokoroa. Ka neke ki Tāmaki Makaurau, ki Kirikiriroa, kei Pōneke ia ināianei. E whā ana tau i Ngā Taonga, he tautoko i ngā mahi Māori.

E kī ana a Karen rāua ko Peri Te Wao, kua kaumātua, ana ka kite koe he whakaahua o Chrissie WiToko i tana Whare Kawhe a Evergreen i te Rori o Vivian. He pēnei rāua āi a Carmen, ka tautokohia ngā iwi katoa e Chrissy. Te āhua nei, he tautoko i ngā iwi katoa. Koia rā te ngako. He iwi marae e whakanui ana i ngā hapori katoa.

He kaitoi takatāpui rā a a Taupuariki Brightwell o Rarotonga, o Tahiti o te Māori hoki. Ka arohaina e ia ngā mahi toi, ngā kōrero pakiwaitara e pā ana ki ana tūpuna. E 27 katoa ngā whakatupuranga mahi toi tae noa ki a ia.

He wahine Hāmoa a Tuiloma Lina-Jodi Vaine Samu i whānau i Aotearoa. I tupu, i kuraina ia i Ōtāhuhu me Māngere. I tuarima ia o ngā tamariki tokoono nā Tuiloma Molipopo Samu nee Iusitini o Sapunaoa, a Falealili me Pu’apu’a Savai’I, Samoa me Leatufale Lila Samu o Salelesi me Faleula, Upolu Samoa. I te Kāhui Tika Tangata ia e mahi ana, ināianei kua neke ki Te Manatū Iwi Moananui hei ārāhi i ngā mahi hou hei whakaora reo, (hei tautoko i nga rangahaunga tākutatanga).

He Kaitohutohu Matua a Richard Tankersley ki te Kāreti o ngā Tākuta o Aotearoa. Mai i te 2008 ki te 2017 he Kaikōmihana Tika Tāngata a ia e ārahi ana i ngā mahi ira, ngā āhuatanga ira, tuakiri ira hoki. Kua 20 tau a Richard hei Kaitohutohu mō te kanorau hei Diversity and Inclusive Consultation Facilitator ki Matariki Services Ltd.