A mini cultural festival was registered, recognized, and launched by National Cultural Commission together with the Tourism Promotion Authority at Komu Village in Upper Bena local level government in the Unggai-Bena District of Eastern Highlands Province last Thursday.
The Sinu cultural festival, named after Mountain Sinu, is a culturally distinctive community that becomes the host and custodian of the festival which will be a feeder or mini-cultural festival to the larger annual Goroka Show.
Tourism Promotion Authority chief executive officer Mr. Eric Mossman Uvovo told the people of Upper Bena and the entire Unggai-Bena, to embrace their distinctive cultural practices and traditions.
Mr. Eric Mossman Uvovo elaborated that it is essential to uphold our diverse oral and written cultural practices and pass them on to the next generation.
“Culture is an important aspect of livelihood, we have to sustain and maintain or keep our culture alive. It is through this event that it will bring changes to the communities.
When you have these organizations coming to the communities they bring changes too, like roads, bridges, electricity, and water supplies into the surrounding villages.”
Mr. Uvovo further announced a K25, 000 donations towards the Komu Resource center which he initially funded.
“This funding is to go towards running training for MSMEs in the villages like sewing, cultural training and etc.,” he said.
“I thanked and appreciate the National Cultural Commission for recognizing, registering, and certifying Sinu Cultural Festival to be a lead-up event to the famous Goroka Show.
Sinu cultural festival will be a lead-up cultural festival to the Goroka show and this festival will be held a week prior to the much bigger show, the annual Goroka show,” added Mr. Uvovo.
The National Cultural Commission (NCC) is a Government agency mandated by an Act of Parliament to preserve, protect, safeguard, promote and market Papua New Guinea’s cultural heritages.
National Cultural Commission when presented K10, 000 to go towards the launching and opening of the Sinu Cultural Festival.
Bola Noho who is the Cultural manager of the National Cultural Commission when presenting the cheque and certification of registration to the Sinu Festival committee elaborated on the importance of maintaining and sustaining our cultures.
Mr. Noho highlighted it’s a sad scenario to see nowadays our culture is dying and our children are losing these vital cultural practices.
“Therefore, it is important we these organizations like the National Cultural Commission and Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) working under the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture to partner and develop our cultures and its practices at the community level,” said Mr. Bola Noho.
