Ako Lesoni

We held two weeks of hours-long practices to travel to the village of Longomapu to put on a series of short religious-themed plays for the people of that village. A lot of hand-dancing ‘a la Napoleon Dynamite’s “happy hands club.” That is huge here in Tonga. I’m an equally poor hand and foot dancer.

I appeared in the “Jesus Boat” skit in which we pretend to row a boat while sitting on the floor. Jesus is in our boat and he serenades us when we ask him to help us b/c we are weak with out him.

In another skit, my wife, child and I are planning on boarding a boat to Heaven. The catch is, my daughter figuratively didn’t prepare for this journey, so misses the ride. In the end scene, my wife cries at seeing our daughter left behind.

In my critically acclaimed performance, I hold my hand above my eyes to shield the sun and look out into the crowd for my untimely abscent daughter. I also grab little girls and spin them around, wearing a face of disappointment when I find that they are not my lil gal.