The Garamut Na Mambu Festival is a regional festival in the Momase region that promotes two most popular traditional instruments in the region – Garamut (silt drum) and Mambu (bamboo flute).

This year, the 18th Garamut Na Mambu Festival was hosted again to showcase and promote the significance of the Garamut and Mambu. The festival was held at the Sir. Michael Somare Stadium in Wewak, East Sepik Province.

It was staged from August 31 – September 2 under the theme: “strive to preserve our Momase identity through greater participation in arts and cultural festivals”. Attending on behalf of the executive director for National Cultural Commission, Mr. Steven Enomb Kilanda, were the executive manager for Festivals, Marketing, Arts Industries, and Cultural Development Services Division, David Taim and the Festival and Events Manageress, Geno Reuben. The theme flashes the growing concern in the Momase region where cultures appear to be dying out fast.

Pascal Nak, a renowned cultural leader from the Sabawia clan described the festival as an important platform to preserve and revive dying cultures. He said his participation at the festival meant a lot for his people, especially the younger generation. “The Garamut is a significant instrument that we value because it was used in the past to communicate information from one clan to another, and I want the younger generation to learn about its importance and why we should preserve it. One day I will no longer be alive, and no one will be here to teach them,” Nak said.

The three-day festival also featured the ‘Pikinini Tumbuna Taim.’ A total of 11 schools took part in dance, sing-sing, story-telling and poem recital about the Garamut and Mambu.

The Garamut Na Mambu Festival is a platform set to help the young people show interest in their culture. It is a first of its kind to incorporate the ‘pikinini tumbuna taim’ to empower the youths and young generation of the East Sepik Province.

Festival-goers also aired their views expressing concerns over social issues and the importance of embracing culture to address social issues. George Lenua, an elder from Boka Cultural Arts Theatre expressed similar sentiments, saying, “it’s about time, the province must address its social issues through cultural activities.

“It’s part of us and the people have to take it to heart to resolve social issues by engaging young people in learning more about their culture,” he said. He said haus tambaran has been one of the prominent elements of culture in the Sepik society.

“Many elders are dying without transferring the knowledge to their young men,” Lenua said and called on the clans in the province to rebuild their haus man and initiate more young men into their culture.

He said rebuilding “Haus Man” would enable the people to preserve their traditional knowledge and pass it on to the future generation. Mr. Taim urged the provincial government to give prominence to culture as a way forward to promote, preserve, safeguard, and protect the intangible and tangible cultural heritage of the people.

He also asked the East Sepik Provincial Government to consider signing a memorandum of understanding with NCC to establish a pathway for a cultural center within the province. The partnership will help foster cultural development within the East Sepik Province, Mr. Taim said.