A Papua New Guinean contingent of arts and cultural ambassadors traveling to the United States for the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture in Hawaii was formally farewelled in Port Moresby by US envoy, Ann Marie Yastishock today.

Ambassador Yastishock wished the contingent a safe travel and encouraged the 130 delegates to share their experiences and the arts and cultural heritage with the world including the other 27 participating Pacific Island nations.

The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture is the world’s largest arts and cultural extravaganza of the traditional heritage of the people of the vast Pacific Ocean.

The PNG contingent is made up of traditional and contemporary performers, artists and officials from the government and the private sector. Head of Delegation and the Executive Director of National Cultural Commission, Steven Enomb Kilanda, thanked Ambassador Yastishock for her support in ensuring PNG’s participation at the festival.

“Thank you for making our travel arrangements possible, and I am sure the people of Hawaii will receive us warmly and make us feel at home with their typical Hawaiian hospitality and friendship – the Pacific way.

“We are happy to be travelling to Honolulu and also excited to show to the world our rich, diverse and unique art and cultural heritage through our dances, performances and exhibitions. We are also humbled to tell our stories through our artefacts that will be on display and our traditional attires.
“Our traditional dances tell stories of our ancestral beliefs and customary practices that have become part of the foundation of the way we live in our societies today,” Mr Kilanda said.

He said: “Papua New Guinea is the one of the most diverse nations in the world with over 800 languages spoken by thousands of tribes each with its own unique, distinct and rich arts and cultural heritage.

What we will show to the world in Hawaii and share with the other Pacific Island nations at the festival is just the tip of the iceberg plucked from the four regions of our country. We have traditional dance groups from the Highlands, Momase, New Guinea Islands and the Southern or the Papua regions of Papua New Guinea. They are but a small representation of the hundreds of unique artforms, dances, music and ceremonies that reflect our cultural heritage and beliefs.

“We will display our exclusive traditional wares and perhaps excite festival-goers to buy from the vault of our gift shop. Our contemporary dance group and our very own international reggae sensation, Anslom Nakikus, will no doubt lure the crowd.

“A few of our Papua New Guinean individual artists will also be showcasing their talents and skills in painting, carving and weaving,” Mr Kilanda said.