Papalii Sia Figiel, renowned Pacific novelist, poet and painter has died at Tanumalala prison while awaiting the result of her murder trial. Sources at the correctional facility say Papali was found dead in her prison cell on Monday morning 26 January 2025.
The Acting Police Commissioner, Leiataua Samuelu Afamasaga has been contacted for further details.
Papalii was arrested in May 2024 and charged with the brutal murder of Dr Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard. Dr Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, 78 at the time of her death, was the first Samoan to be granted full professorship by an American University. She was a respected Samoan academic and poet, and a personal friend/mentor to Papalii.
During Papalii’s trial, which began in August 2025, her defense centered around her mental state, with medical evidence presented in court stating she suffers from a psychotic disorder.
During the trial Papalii sat just behind her lawyer, afioga Unasa Iuni Sapolu, and cried uncontrollably when the Police forensic witness described the crime scene and the decead’s body.
Papalii Sia Figiel was a pioneer in women’s storytelling who gained international recognition for her work, known for incorporating traditional Samoan storytelling techniques.
Where We Once Belonged (1996) won the prestigious Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book award in the South East Asia/South Pacific region in 1997.
Reviewers on Kaya Press noted that the book “uses the traditional Samoan storytelling form of su’ifefiloi to talk back to Western anthropological studies on Samoan women and culture”.
Her other works and recognition included The Girl in the Moon Circle (1996) and They Who Do Not Grieve (1999).
Her poetry won the Polynesian Literary Competition in 1994.
She is also a noted performance poet and has held numerous residencies at universities and institutions across Europe and the South Pacific.
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