Ako’aTonga is the new name for Akoola Educational Services. Ako’aTonga means Tonga’s learning platform. Kalino Latu, the founder of Ta’angafonua Trust and Kaniva Tonga News, founded it.
At Ako’aTonga Educational Services, our mission is not just to educate, entertain, and preserve the skills necessary to promote Tongan culture but also to empower our audience. We focus on language, music, education, translation, and entertainment to preserve and promote the rich heritage of Tongan culture and empower individuals to contribute to its preservation.
Ako’aTonga Educational Services is deeply dedicated to preserving and promoting Tongan culture through our comprehensive education, entertainment, and empowerment programs. Our focus spans various aspects of Tongan culture, including language, music, education, and entertainment. These initiatives educate individuals and instil a deep appreciation for Tonga’s rich heritage and traditions, ensuring their preservation for future generations.
Ako’aTonga seeks to transform traditional Tongan teaching practices by transitioning from reliance on oral instruction to utilizing scientific methods. This innovative approach integrates skills commonly employed by mainstream cultures and brings about a unique and enriched educational framework for us to use. This framework enhances various aspects of Tongan cultural activities, offering a fresh and intriguing perspective on Tongan culture.
At Ako’aTonga, we understand the importance of accessibility and the power of modern technology. Using Internet technologies, we undertake to effectively document our teaching sessions, live performances, and academic theories. By doing so, we ensure that these resources are readily accessible to the community through online platforms and e-books, making learning and knowledge sharing a click away and connecting us in this digital age.
What do we mean by shifting from traditional oral approaches to scientific methods?
This shift allows us to preserve Tongan culture more comprehensively and effectively. By integrating scientific methods, we can ensure that our educational programs are both culturally relevant and academically rigorous, preparing our students for success in a globalized world.
For examples:
- Guitar and keyboard
Our music school offers comprehensive lessons on playing the keyboard and guitar. Our expert instructors use a combination of scales, chords, and music notation to provide a well-rounded learning experience for students. Unlike the traditional self-taught approach, our method emphasizes structured lessons and personalised guidance, ensuring that students receive the support they need to develop their musical skills effectively. Click this link to see the videos by our guitarist Sisi Langakali Latu. https://kanivatonga.co.nz/akoatonga-guitar-practices/
- Composing
Our institution focuses on imparting a wide range of skills, techniques, styles, and artistic creativity that deviate from conventional learning methods rooted in ancestral practices. Our approach emphasises innovation and contemporary methods of creative expression, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of diverse artistic approaches. See Kalino’s Master’s thesis on Tongan songs and Imagery Application.
- Choreographing
YouTube critique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2QjA2MJ8jY
Traditional Tongan hakas encompass fundamental skills that choreographers historically used to instruct tau’olunga, including specific head movements. However, contemporary performances noticeably depart from these traditional techniques. This deviation negatively affects the traditional context and damages the artistic quality of the haka.
Kalino has offered a comprehensive critique of the head movements showcased in the tu’ulāfale video, highlighting their departure from the traditional Tongan head movement. Kalino emphasizes that the excessively forceful head movements depicted in the video have undermined the movement’s intended graceful and dignified execution. This departure raises concerns about the potential for injury and misrepresents the correct form and technique of the traditional Tongan head movement.