Le Festival Mona 2010

FESTIVAL SUCCESS
By Aloysius Laukai (16.08.2010)

The second Bougainville Mona Festival 2010 was hailed a success.
The three- day show attracted more than TEN THOUSAND people throughout the festival.
The Mona Festival which is a cultural show featuring the locally built traditional Bougainville canoe called “MONA”.
The show also attracted overseas tourists and local tourists from PNG.
The show opened with a local send off ceremony by the chiefs of Malasang village and the four Monas then travelled all the way to Buka Town where the festival was opened by Bougainville’s President JOHN MOMIS.
The four Monas had to rest at Ieta village for Water from the Ieta chiefs then continued to KOKOPAU to a large waiting Warriors and cultural groups and chiefs from Selau and Suir.
PNG’s comedian was in one of the canoes which made extra attraction to the crowd.
The 2010 DIGICEL BOUGAINVILLE MONA FESTIVAL was sponsored by DIGICEL PNG, LAE BISCUIT COMPANY and several other companies.
In his speech PRESIDENT MOMIS encouraged the people of Bougainville to preserve their custom as this was our own identity.
He praised the organizers of the festival for making the festival a reality.
MR. MOMIS also gave TEN THOUSAND KINA as the ABG’s contribution towards the festival.
One of the other highlight was the 2010 MR AND MISS DIGICEL BOUGAINVILLE MONA FESTIVAL.
The winners were the Mister and Miss Malasang.
They are GEORGE MACKANZIE AND LORENA RICHIE.
Representative of the main Sponsor DIGICEL, Bougainville Manager, HENRY ONSA Junior said that Miss Digicel Mona Festival 2010 would be sponsored for the PNG Miss PNG quest next year.
Meanwhile the Chairman of the National Cultural Council, DR. JACOB SIMET called on the Mona Festival committee to put the festival on the yearly calendar of the PNG Cultural shows so that tourists can know when the Mona Festival is held.
He said that the calendar should be within the New Guinea Island shows so that Tourists can tour Provinces to Provinces following these festivals and enjoy what PNG has to over with Tourism.
The Festival was closed by the ABG Vice President, PATRICK NISIRA who promised to allocate TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND for the festival next year.