Part of my speech so far

My name is Damian Seeto this is James and Adam. And what we decided to base our presentation on is Joshua Iosefo’s excellent spoken poetry called Brown Brother. Joshua was a prefect at Mt Roskill Grammar School (the same school I went to) and he was required to come up with an inspirational speech to talk to the entire school. What a speech it was! The speech itself is a commentary to how “brown people” are always negatively stereotyped, but there is more to the speech than just that as Joshua explained to me when I interviewed him.

Let’s find out more as we analyze both Brown Brother and its author Joshua Iosefo.   

Joshua’s grandparents migrated to New Zealand back in the ‘60s. He himself was raised in South Auckland in the suburb of Otahuhu. But because of his Dad’s work, they moved to Mount Roskill where he went to Mount Roskill Grammar. Joshua was a successful student becoming a prefect and of course, made up the famous speech called “Brown Brother” in the process.

Being a brown person, Joshua is proud of his heritage, but he also knows the negative images that are portrayed/stereotyped from his people. Joshua’s main inspiration for writing the speech in the first place was the lack of inspiration for his people. He thought maybe this speech might uplift and motivate people to achieve something greater than what society expects them to do.  But he also said that “stereotypes have their place”.  His main concern was the balance of the representation of his people.

What is interesting about the lyrics in “Brown Brother” is that he said the “whole speech” is based on something he had gone through personally or a close friend of family member. Racism may not be as prevalent as it was back in the old days, but this does not mean it doesn’t still exist in some capacity. We may not see the type of racism where brown people aren’t able to walk down the street or take the bus, but they’re still disadvantaged and seen differently (even in NZ).

The most revealing comment Joshua made about “Brown Brother” is that the poem wasn’t intended to be a protest about the way brown people are portrayed in society. He told me the intention was “to basically let ALL people of different backgrounds know that they are capable. Sometimes all people need is someone to say they can actually do it – and that little belief moves mountains”.

This is true as there was a University of Auckland study that focused on teenagers can how they feel about racial discrimination. Maori and Samoan students valued their cultures’ heritage, family and having their own language. When it came to the negatives, Maori didn’t like being labeled as “dumb” and the media showcasing them as violent criminals. Samoan students also feel that they’re beng labeled as “gangster”.

When it came to Pakeha students, some of the things they felt discrimnated against was that they were labeled as being “racists”. They also felt guilty about the bad things their ancestors would have done in the past. As for Chinese students, they didn’t like being stereotyped as being “brainy”, having strict parents and being bad drivers.

Both Joshua and myself feel that some ethnicities need balanced in terms of their representation in society and the media. He says we need more diversity when it comes to storytelling instead of just sticking to the one stereotype. He mentioned that Polynesians were always stereotyped as unintelligent or illiterate.

The response for Brown Brother was huge as it became a popular video on Youtube and attracted a lot of outside attention. This includes large companies/events like TEDx and people like Owen Glenn. He also featured on Campbell Live to recite the poem in a pre-recorded segment. But he finds it really humbling that students and other normal people have reached out to him to share their stories

Joseph Iosefo The Interview

1) Tell me more about yourself. Where you come from, and your family background.

So I am born and raised in South Auckland, to be specific Otahuhu. My mother fell pregnant with me at the age of 19 so a borderline teenage pregnancy I guess? My parents then married at the age of 20. My mother now is a Teacher and my father is a Sergent Officer at East Tamaki Polic Station. I also have a younger brother who is 3 years of age. My Grandparents are still alive and well and migrated to NZ in 1959 in their early 20s. They both lived on a farm in Taihape owned by Pakeha (The Jensens) and were taught the Pakeha way.

2) What inspired you to write this speech in the first place?

The inspiration for Brown Brother was the lack of inspiration among my people. If that makes sense?

3) What was your intended audience for this speech?

There was actually no intended audience for the speech. To be honest I wrote it just for the sake of writing I didn't know what to do with it once I finished. It was definatley a God-inspired moment, a mix of frustrations and a lot of surfing spoken word poetry on Youtube. I was in the lounge watching t.v then something just hit me! I walked straight into my room and started to write... an hour later Brown Brother was born. But I didn't know what to do with it. So I shared it with my parents once I emerged from my room,  and they encouraged me to share it at school- So I did, and it got an audience I guess? lol

4) Did you have any personal experiences with the themes you mentioned in the speech? 

Pretty much the WHOLE speech is based on something I have gone through personally or something that a close friend or family member has gone through. Ask me what themes relate to what part in my life and I can give you a more specific answer :)

5) How did MRGS react to your speech? 

They pretty much didn't know what hit them, I didn't either. It was EXTREMELY risky what I did. I was seriously freaking out before and after I did it. I was actually only supposed to do the speech once at our Monday assembly (we have two assemblies because there are way too many students) But when I did it the Principal called me into his office and asked if I was able to do it again on Tuesday. ( the Tuesday assembly was the one that was filmed). I think it brought a sense of encouragment for everyone. My Principal actually invited me into his office afterwards and just asked me "What can we do as a school to help our students?" He heard the message and wanted to take action. Since then there have been homework centres put in place after school to help students really achieve.

6) What is your favorite part of your own speech?

My favourite part is probably the last length of the piece because that's where there is encouragment and there is an edification of the people.

7) Did you intend for your speech to change people's attitudes to racial stereotypes?

In short- no. If it did then that's awesome but the intention behind the piece was to basically let ALL people of different backgrounds know that they are capable. Sometimes all people need is someone to say they can actually do it- and that little belief moves mountains.

8) Did you expect the speech to garner so much exposure?

Not at all! I had no idea what was going to happen afterwards. It kind of just hit me full force, my Mother had to be my manager because there was just so many requests coming left,right and centre.

9) Do you feel that the media and TV shows have promoted and reinforced negative Pacific Island/Maori stereotypes?

I don't think they have promoted- but it's what they and we are just used to. Before we start shooting down misrepresentations we need to understand the media aswell. These 'negative' representations have their place and I understand that completely. Steroetypes are versions of truth and each stereotype does have it's place. My main concern was the balance of the representation.