ARMEA

Letila Mitchell is a practicing artist, arts administrator, producer, academic, and champion of Rotuman and Indigenous cultures. A self-described mother, artist, and dreamer, Letila is the founder and artistic director of Rako Pasefika, a multidisciplinary collective of Indigenous Oceanic storytellers whose performances and digital art are informed by Rotuman culture and identity. Recent performances by Rako Pasefika have taken place at the Sydney Opera House, the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Pacific Arts Festival, and the Quandamooka Festival.

In addition to her education and training in the UK, the US, Australia, and New Zealand, Letila has worked extensively in the Pacific arts and culture sectors as well as in trade and tourism, both at the local and governmental levels. Her current consultancy and development work focuses on cultural entrepreneurship, arts education, arts for social change, and developing Pacific models for environmental and cultural sustainability across creative industries. Previously, Letila served as director of the Fiji Arts Council, as founder of the Pacific Arts Alliance, and as a member of the Commonwealth Group for Culture and Development. 

Letila earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology at the University of the South Pacific, where she also completed a postgraduate qualification in cultural management. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Creative Industries at Queensland University of Technology, where her research explores Rotuman creative practice in the context of Indigenous Oceanic knowledge with the goal of deepening knowledge and strengthening creative practices that link Indigenous knowledge, cultural activism, and biodiversity conservation.