Assignment task: Paradise Bent documentary 1999
1) Some of the interviewees claim they became fa'afafines due to parental encouragement. Do you believe this is the only reason, or even a significant one for their being fa'afafines? How does this compare to Western conceptions of why someone identifies as a transgender person?
2) What are some potential reasons missionaries and European colonizers did not recognize the presence of fa'afafines despite their very likely existence in 19th century Samoa?
3) In what ways do we see the rural/cultural vs. urban division in fa'afafines' sense of identity and self-expression? Consider how these align with traditionally Samoan vs. Western cultural values.
4) How do Tosi (the DJ), Cindy, and Mishiee define and explain fa'afafines' sexuality, including the notion of having sex with another fa'afafine?
5) Explain why, as Yuki puts it "to label a fa'afafine gay, transvestite, and transsexual does not fit what a fa'afafine is."