2010 Digicel Bougainville Mona Festival Update

Source: New Dawn FM (http://bougainville.typepad.com/newdawn/)

By Veronica Hannette

The Bougainville Mona Festival Chairman Lawrence Belleh and his colleagues are working round the clock to complete the ground work ready for the big festival

The Buka show ground will be the main host for the festival and so far so good the ground work has advanced and is ready.

Bougainville Mona Festival will be a yearly festival therefore the chairman of Mona Festival, Lawrence Belleh is appealing to the people to fully support and learn from such activity.

Bougainville Mona Festival is promoting culture and with that it can attract a lot of tourist to the province.

This cultural festival will also encourage the people to stand on strong grounds to hold their culture and traditions.

Therefore, cultural activities such as singsing kaur groups, bamboo bands and Solomon dances will be held at the time of festival.

Two traditional contestants, a male and a female from individual traditional group will contest during the three days show.

Meanwhile, CEO for Commerce, Mr Albert Kinani has confirmed that five Mona’s are set to participate at the festival, one from Halia, one from Hahalis, two from Gogohe and two from Malasang.

Mr Kinani is also appealing to business companies like Jomik, Likui, Pemana, Elutu, Deborah and Ela Motors to support the Mona festival.

He said, this show will attract a lot of people and for that reason businesses will make good money from the three day show.

The CEO also announced a new web site that would promote Tourism on Bougainville as www.bougainvilletourism.org.pg

2010 Dicigel Bougainville Mona Festival

Kori Bamboo Band renames as Cultural Group

By Siwi Aipe

A renown bamboo band from the Hahalis Constituency of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville is set to re-alight the old flame.


Once known as Kori Bamboo Band has set the aim to change its identity and aim higher merging culture and tourism.

The group is registered with National Cultural Commission (NCC) but has changed its identity to include other cultural and tourism activities apart from only dancing to the tune and beats of bamboo pipes.

It is led by energetic Colin Kana as the chairman while Aileen Rihatta and Tenevi Tukana as secretary and Treasurer respectively. Edward Rihatta is truly committed as the public relations officer.

The group is in the process of opening a bank account with the grassroots bank PNG Nationwide Microbank so every proceeds made is properly banked and transacted for any approved activity.

The Bougainville Tourism Office was invited to a rehearsal recently held at Hahalis where the group is based. Apart from the cultural dance, group aims to develop tourist attraction sites like caves, cliffs, treks as well as incorporating activities such as bird watching, canoeing, traditional fishing, basket weaving, wood carving and pottery.

Kori Cultural Group entertained the Tourism Office staff with six original cultural songs and their corresponding unique dance and lyrics to the tune of bamboo pipes.

Each song’s lyric and accompanying style of dance commemorate or depict a traditional ritual or activity like fishing, canoeing, mourning, celebration and knighting or initiation of a chief.

“We are committed to preserving our customs and culture apart from providing entertainment at any event or to a group of tourist, “ Mr. Rihatta said.

“Not only that, we also have vast tourism potential which we could tap into to bring tourist to see our unique attraction sites and enjoy refreshing activities.

Edward said a number of youth engaged in this project have shown high enthusiasm and participation forgoing drugs and alcohol.

Kori Cultural group was recently invited to entertain at the 2010 PNG Bougainville National Population and Household Census at Buka Town. Last year Mona Festival triggered the ignition of Kori Cultural Group and has since have not turned off as its fueled with high level of interest.

The group in liaison with Tourism Office plan to develop the objectives of the cultural group.

The registered members of both genders numbers 30 .

To have Kori Cultural Group entertain your guests, contact Edward Rihatta on 675 71353089 .