Pacific Empowerment

In this episode, Akanesi Kaufusi launches the Ban Tou‘a campaign, calling for the protection of women, children, and families in faikava spaces.She shares the challenges she has faced online, the Pacific-wide support behind the movement, survivor testimonies, and why legal reform in Tonga is urgently needed.Learn about Pasifika Empowerment’s mission and how you can help create lasting change.

Let’s get the 50,000-signature target reached soon.The quicker you sign and the more you share, the faster change happens.This is your chance to have your voice heard.

Sign the petition and learn more at: https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

This episode marks my final podcast for 2025 as I take a short break over Christmas and New Year, before returning after the holidays.

In this episode, I reflect on my journey throughout the year - the growth of the podcast, the ups and downs, and the challenging but necessary conversations around kava and tou'a issues. I share what this season has taught me about resilience, gratitude, and staying grounded in purpose.

I also share more faikava testimonies sent to me, continuing to raise awareness and encourage honest conversations for change within our communities. As we close the year, I talk briefly about some of my plans and intentions for the year ahead, and what listeners can expect moving forward.

I end this episode with gratitude for every listener who has walked with me this year, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for your support! See you after the holidays.

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

⚠️ Disclaimer
This episode is for awareness and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified doctor before testing or taking any medication.

In this week’s episode, Kori Tameifuna shares her Tongan husband’s journey with chronic Hepatitis B - a silent health issue affecting many Pacific families. We talk about how the virus is passed down, why those born in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s should get tested, and the serious impact it has on the liver. We also discuss how kava and alcohol can worsen liver health without people realising.

Kori also gives honest marriage and family advice around boundaries, cultural pressures, kava, pickleball, late-night habits, and protecting your home. This is a powerful conversation every Pacific household needs to hear.

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

This week, I sit down with Lizzie Wong to break down 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and what it means for Pacific Island people. We talk through this year’s theme on ending digital violence and why online abuse is now one of the biggest threats facing Pacific women and girls.

I also share my own experience with cyberbullying, and together we unpack the different forms of online harassment that many Pacific women face today. We discuss real solutions, practical safety tips, and how our communities can create safer digital spaces for our sisters, daughters, and mothers.

A powerful, necessary conversation for our Pacific people on activism, awareness, and protecting ourselves online. 💜🎙️

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

In this powerful episode, Akanesi dives deep into how God has been speaking through Scripture - revealing that not all traditions passed down through generations come from Him. Using the recent Catholic shift away from the belief that Mary is “Co-Redeemer” as a starting point, she explores how even long-held religious traditions can change when they don’t align with biblical truth.

Akanesi shares a personal testimony about how God has been speaking through the exact same Scriptures again and again, revealing a powerful message for the Pacific.

This episode directly confronts harmful Pacific practices that continue to hurt families today - kava addiction, tou‘a exploitation, domestic violence, and silence around suffering. It’s a bold reminder that culture should never have more authority than Christ.

God is raising a generation that will say,
 “It ends with me.”

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

In this powerful new episode of Pacific Empowerment, host Akanesi dives into the truth behind the release of the Epstein Files, and why this moment matters for our Pacific communities.

In this episode, we uncover who Jeffrey Epstein really was, what happened behind the luxury and influence, and the links to presidents, royalty, and elites. Most importantly, we confront the dangerous similarities in our own Pacific communities, especially in faikava spaces where some men believe culture and connection can protect abusive behaviour.

This conversation is a reminder to us all:
 No title, no status, and no culture can protect a predator forever.

🎧 Listen and share - because when Pacific survivors speak, truth rises and justice follows.

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

In this week’s episode, I discuss academic research on the role of the tou‘a - the woman serving kava, and what these studies reveal about women’s experiences inside faikava spaces.

I focus on the work of Hilda A. Port, author of the doctoral thesis How Do Evolving Kava-Related Practices Impact the Role of Tongan Women Living in Aotearoa? Her research highlights the realities faced by tou‘a, including the cultural expectations, the vulnerability in certain kava settings, and how evolving practices have changed the way women are viewed and treated in these environments.

Alongside this academic perspective, I share real stories from Tongan women and men about faikava and tou'a, including my first testimony from Nauru about kava abuse. These testimonies reveal what is truly happening in our communities and why open conversations are needed now more than ever.

This episode is for anyone who wants to understand the truth behind the tou‘a role, beyond cultural tradition and academic debate. It’s time to address what’s really going on.

Watch on YouTube, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

Episode Description:

In this episode, I analyze Dr. Apo Aporosa’s article of the University of Waikato, "De-mythologizing and Re-branding of Kava as the New ‘World Drug’ of Choice” - a paper that defends kava as safe and culturally misunderstood. But here’s the real question: Can studies done on kava tablets in laboratories truly represent the reality of Pacific Island men drinking bowl after bowl every night?

I also share real testimonies from wives in Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, women whose husbands’ kava addiction and faikava lifestyle have led to broken families, financial struggles, and emotional pain.

Finally, I offer advice for women who are going through this: those dealing with cheating or addicted husbands.

This episode challenges the academic narrative with lived experience, exposing what happens when research misses reality.

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

Kava addiction has become a silent epidemic in the Pacific, breaking homes, stealing time, and blinding our people to their God-given purpose.

In this episode, I read the first testimony from a Samoan wife of an addicted 'ava man.

The response to my kava videos was overwhelming, hundreds of voices from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, PNG, and across the Pacific opened up about the pain and destruction caused by kava addiction. I share those heartfelt comments, stories of healing, and warnings from families who have lived through the consequences.

I also talk about how the devil is using kava as a quiet weapon to destroy families and distract our people from their true purpose.
This is more than conversation, it’s a wake-up call for the Pacific.

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment

Many believe kava is safer than alcohol or drugs, but is it really? In this episode, we take an honest look at the hidden effects of kava, alcohol, and drugs on our Pacific communities.

We begin by comparing their impact on addiction, health, families, and spirituality - exposing what’s often disguised as “culture.”
 We also receive our first testimony from a Fijian wife of a grog man (the Fijian version of a faikava man), sharing the real pain and struggles of families living with kava addiction.

Beyond awareness, this episode also explores better, smarter ways to use kava - turning it into an opportunity for economic growth rather than destruction - promoting innovation, responsible use, and a kava industry that uplifts our people instead of keeping them trapped in overconsumption.

Support the show

Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.

Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children.            https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns

You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment