Songs of Travel

With over 200 performers from New Zealand heading for the Fringe under the 'NZ in Edinburgh' banner, festivalgoers will have no shortage of opportunities to aquaint themselves with the artistic diversity of the Land of the Long White Cloud. Among the shows on offer is The Factory, an exploration of 1970s Pacific Island immigration and the troubling legacy of racism and discrimination left in its wake.

Superficially, it may seem unlikely material for a romantic musical, but for the Kila Kokonut Krew—in spite of their defiantly unfortunate acronym—it is exactly the kind of material the groundbreaking theatre company always intended to tackle. "Kila Kokonut Krew gives our Pacific people a creative voice," explains Stacey Leilua, director, associate producer and cast understudy of The Factory.

"At the time KKK was formed, there was no other theatre company that focused on committing solely to the recognition, development and celebration of Pacific voices. That was the impetus for creating the company. All too often Pacific Island people were characters in the background, playing stereotypical cleaners or drunken, abusive partners. We wanted to create new work that showcased our people in a positive light – to be able to put them in the foreground and tell our stories in the way they deserved to be told."

A much-praised hit at the Aucklands Arts Festival, the play follows young Samoan, Losa, and her father as they travel to New Zealand in the 1970s, searching for the abundant opportunities—the "milk and honey dream"—that many immigrants were promised. Instead, they end up working in a textile factory with a less-than-accommodating boss (whose son Losa quickly falls in love with, in classic musical fashion).

"We wanted to capture the reality of the migrant experience at that time – the fact that when you left your island paradise in those days you were literally leaving for years, if not forever," says Leilua. "It was a huge commitment. Work conditions were tough; you didn't have strong unions or workers rights like you might have today. We also wanted to show the sense of community and family that the workers had among themselves, as well as the attitudes of many of the Europeans that lived in New Zealand at that time.

"It's surreal watching 1970s documentary footage of older Europeans being interviewed about islanders migrating – comments that would be regarded as blatant racism these days were almost normal. The Factory is a tribute to those that came before us. They paved the way to make a better life for us, so this is about honouring and thanking them for what they endured."

At a time of increased support for political parties on the radical right, audiences will be more attuned than ever to issues of racism and immigration. Culturally distinct though The Factory may be, its themes are timely and may well elicit a universal response.