Zita Martel
Vaimasenu'u Zita Sefo-Martel is a Samoan women's rights activist, fautasi skipper, and archer who has represented Samoa at the Pacific Games. She is also an honorary consul of France.
Biography
Martel attended Canterbury University, where she had been a rower.In 2000, her local church needed a skipper for their longboat, or fautasi. At first she refused the request, but was eventually persuaded to give it a try. When she became the skipper for her church, she also became the first woman to act as captain in the fautasi races in 2001. Her boat won the race at Samoa's 50th independence celebrations in 2012. In 2020 her crew won the Faleula to Apia fautasi race.
She represented Samoa in archery at the 2007 Pacific Games in Apia, winning silver in the mixed recurve matchplay and in the individual compound. At the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa she won gold in the compound matchplay and bronze in the compound individual.
Martel also speaks out against domestic violence in Samoa.