Goroka Show 2009 (Sunday)

Day 2 of Goroka Show 2009 got of to a late start this morning but once the gates opened people flocked from all directions to make their way to the grounds of the National Sports Institute (NSI) at West Goroka.

There were certainly more singsing groups than yesterday and the quality of the bilas was also superior. As with most Cultural Shows the 2nd day is normally the most worthy, groups tend to put in their best as this is the day when judging takes place. Winners  are awarded cash prizes and although this naturally is a motivator to win there’s also cultural pride that drives locals to want to walk away with “gold” on the day.

A couple of hours wandering inside the show-ground yesterday was enough to satisfy my cultural curiosity. As I mentioned yesterday it’s something a bit like: “You seen one Cultural Show – you seen them all”.  Although the previous statement is not entirely true – especially in a place they call the “Land of the Unexpected” – I certainly wasn’t going back today to battle the queues and the crowds to experience the tradition and culture which is easily accessible  all over town on a Show weekend.

With camera in hand – cap – bilum- bare-foot and enough coins to buy a few buai I headed out the door at around 7:30am to check out the early morning action. Dart-boards and face painting, blurry eyed lads still drunk after a night on the booze still managing a smile and a joke, and of course the folks waiting for the gates to open. The photos I took this morning reflect another kind of culture – street culture. At all PNG Shows there’s just as much happening outside the gates – if not more – to what’s going on the inside. Most folks snap the bilas, the dancing and the groups within the grounds. Few venture around the adjacent streets to interact and take photographs of the locals whom just don’t have the means to buy a lousy K3 ticket.

I was irked this morning to see tourists taking photos of the locals in their traditional wears but too tight-arsed to give away a few coins. Most visitors will never fully appreciate nor understand the hardship that these people go through to make it to the Show. bilas costs,  the PMV ride into town costs, accommodation costs, food costs, the trip back home costs, everything costs money! Most of these rural folks travel for hours and some even for days to get to these cultural gatherings. If you are reading this and intend to travel to PNG one day to experience a Cultural Festival then please – I say please – consider giving away a few coins on the day – it will go a long way to helping these groups find the motivation and more importantly the means to keep coming back.

Below is a random sample of some of the “street” shots I took earlier today.

PS. Photography is an excellent medium for sharing aspects of a culture - it’s also in the nature of the average Papua New Guinean to be friendly and accommodating to visitors. I really do hope that professional photographers making a comfortable living from their efforts on PNG Show weekends – are giving something back – perhaps by way of a commission or a donation. To even think that these “long lensed” types are making money at the expense of those that struggle to survive is deplorable and verges on exploitation.