As part of our He Toi Hou programme, Kia Mau Festival presents this raw and resonant work, WTF: What The Fa’afafine!?! What does it really mean to be fa’afafine? To be proudly trans and Samoan in a world that often misunderstands both?

WTF: What The Fa’afafine!?! invites audiences into the lived experience of a fa’afafine and trans woman who has taken the stage in the Miss Teine Samoa pageant. Get ready to go deeper—into identity, tradition, gender, family, and faith.

Written and performed by a powerful ensemble of fa’afafine and queer Pacific voices, this is a deeply personal story about navigating cultural and gendered expectations, about the strength it takes to question everything you’ve been taught, and the courage it takes to embrace all that you are. Through humour, honesty, and heartbreak, WTF is both celebration and confrontation—a reclamation of space, voice, and fa’afafine identity. WTF: What The Fa’afafine!?! is directed by Hibiscus Tupua-Wilson.

There will always be a place for me in my Samoan culture. Why? Because it’s tradition.
Hibiscus Tupua-Wilson

Content warning includes an M-Rated, contains coarse language, loud music, bright/strobe lighting, and discussions of mental health.

He Toi Hou brings together the most innovative and thought-provoking contemporary Indigenous arts. This pou is a testament to the spirit of creation and offers a space for fresh, dynamic works to make their debut, allowing audiences to experience the raw power and authenticity of new voices or old voices in new ways.

Kia Mau Festival is at the forefront of contemporary Tāngata Whenua, Tāngata Moana, and Indigenous arts in Aotearoa and beyond. We are innovators—pushing boundaries, redefining forms, and forging new paths with creative risk-taking at every step.Right here, right now, we bring together local, national, and international artists in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. We find the intersection where our stories intertwine, creating an experience that is uniquely 'local' yet unparalleled in Pōneke throughout the year.

Kia Mau Festival offers a truly unique experience, led by Tāngata Whenua, Tāngata Moana, and Indigenous voices at every level—from our leadership to our artists and audiences. Unlike any other festival, we are not just a platform for presentations; we are a hub for kōrero and whanaungatanga.

WTF: What The Fa’afafine!?!

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