Athletics PNG names Samoa Pacific Games Squad

The year 2019 has brought a new perception to the Mount Hagen Cultural Show committee in setting its priority on regaining and restoring the corporate sector’s confidence leading to the staging of another colourful cultural extravaganza in August.

The show committee nearly saved a K100, 000.00 if it was not for the Kagamuga show ground upgrading, maintenance and hosting of the amphitheater and the show cup rugby nines competition.

These are list of events that would otherwise consume a lot of the money but a successful team lead by John Bonny had saved at least K30, 000 to bring forward in preparation for this year’s annual cultural festival, planning to make it even bigger and bigger.

If you happen to be one of the early birds to turn up at the Kagamuga showground on that scheduled day in August, you would watch the sun's rays catching the morning dew on a black, red, yellow painted faces usually by older man of the typical highlands. All the men, from the smallest to the biggest in size and age honour their ancestors by dressing as old men, with beards and legs mudded with white clay as a trademark. 

When they dance – holding their hands together and jogging on the spot in several layers of lines – the rattling of shells, bones and seed necklaces would form a mesmerizing percussion to their low chant.

War-like cries and whooping sounds would draw attention of the crowd, marching in somewhat a coordinated direction – going round and round in the field forming a circle with spears and traditional axes pointing out. 

Curious onlookers would be chasing one another and mock-threatening tourists with spears and axes.
Many costumes evoke ancestral spirits and, although most performers won't initiate conversation. They would look so hard as if they would want to hit you with the spears in their hands.

One can’t stand the heat of an explosion of colour and rhythm, a brief of pounding feet and bouncing heads. Deep chants would run fingers down your spine and the beat of kundu drums would throb deep in the chest.

Tourists using oversized cameras would duck and weave between performers, jostling for the best angle, snapping selfies – and snapping at other tourists to get out of the way.

For this year the colorful Mount Hagen Cultural Show, is scheduled on the weekend of 17th and 18th August.  It’s different this time; much bigger and better.

For exotic tours around Mt. Hagen area and the world’s famous indigenous cultural show at, email: pngattractions@gmail.com

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Athletics PNG names Samoa Pacific Games Squad