Waghi Cultural Show 2010

Wrap-up of the 2010 7^th Coca Cola Waghi Cultural Show

as reported by Waghi Cultural Show Organising Committee

Twenty 22 Japanese and Brazil tourists flocked the 7^th Coca Cola Waghi Cultural Show at remote Nondugl, Jiwaka Province Papua New Guinea over the Queens Birthday long weekend.

It was a peaceful and quiet event held over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend from 12-13 June 2010 at the once renowned colonial Edward Hallstrom Bird of Paradise Sanctuary.

Continuous highlands torrential rain which has caused havoc through floods and roadside landslide the last four months or so was respectful of the annual celebration taking a good well advance two weeks break. A week of dry period before the show was ample for the 10km dirt muddy pothole-ridden road to be refilled and flattened for comfortable rides by travelers to the showground. Only concerned sections needed patching, not the whole 1okm to be specific. From Waghi Bridge, junction of the road leading to Nondugl from the Okul Highlands Highway, was at a reasonable state for show goers travelling to and from the show ground on a 25-seater Toyota coaster bus and trucks, after the road being maintained.

A fine day on Saturday 12 June 2010 preceded by early morning fog clearance after the first dawning rays was a fantastic day. Usual tropical highlands of the pacific hue of green, blue fading with elevation to white clouds on the top of the ranges of Kubor and Bismack to sky blue was the spectacular ambient sight for the visitors. Panoramic view from Dona ridge, just 4km meters up north from Waghi Bridge, the junction of the dirt road leading to Nondugl, was breathtaking. Scattered plumes of smoke on the nearby hills remind us of subsistence farmers utilizing the dry weather making garden, hunting or having an outdoor mumu. Dotted sweet potatoes garden plots with nearby village hamlets are visible along the hills. That is the centre of Waghi Valley and Papua New Guinea. Here, there is another junction with road branching to Banz and Nondugl. The road leading to Banz has been upgraded by Cameron Construction which will to be sealed soon. Truck and bus loads of singsing groups and spectators are heading for the showground from both roads towards Nondugl.

The smaller local crowd within the showground provided enough room for tourists to mingle with the members of singsing groups and take photos. Two Brazilian tourists attended the show on Saturday through Trans Niugini Tours were delighted. Expatriates from the Melanesian Nazarene Bible and Teachers college at Ninge and Kudjip attended, though they were purposely there for an evangelistic outreach at the showground. They enjoyed the event too.

Mark Eby and Marion Cadora from University of Goroka (UOG) attended the show after checking Waghi Cultural Facebook fan page. Mark Eby is a lecturer at UOG. He is from Venice, California but has grown up in Waghi Valley at age 13 when his father Lee Eby established the Melanesian Nazarene Bible College in 1967 at Ninge. He enjoyed the show and is sharing his photos as posted on his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=222104&id=756420347). Mark is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, USA but has taken avid interest in Waghi Valley producing a Papua New Guinea documentary featuring tribal fights, coffee, local painters to name a few featuring local talents. It will be showed for the first at Melanesia Nazarene Bible/Teachers College at Ninge at 2pm on Saturday 26 June 2010. Feel free to contact Mark Eby on markeby@azbri.com about the documentary film. Marion is quickly adaptable in Papua New Guinea jumping up PMVs while in Goroka. She is having a great time. Marion is living in Honolulu, Hawaii but she is originally from Dana Point, California. While on a short visit to PNG she managed to make it to Waghi Cultural Show which we hope she took brought back lasting memories of the place and event.

The consistent staging of the 7^th Waghi Cultural Show annually since 2004 has impressed a senior officer of Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNG TPA). Jerry Agus, Manager of Policy and Planning, who has associated with the show since its infant stages was impressively delightful. Jerry has attended the show in 2006 and again in 2010. In 2008, the former PNG TPA Marketing and Promotion Manager, Jimmy Yomapisi attended. Jimmy was accorded beautiful Waghi hospitality when he attended the event. Jerry congratulated the WCS Committee for consistently staging the event annually making it a tourist attraction event.

The annual cultural festival not only brings in international tourists to witness the event but also promotes preservation of the local Waghi Valley style of decoration (bilas), face-painting, singsing, dance and songs during pig killing, bridge price, compensation, tribal fights and funeral rituals.

Fine weather again on Sunday 13 June. Two 25-seater bus load of Japanese tourists left Mt Hagen town for the show at around 9am. This group of tourists was arranged by Elizah Hon of Paradise Tours. They headed eastward flowing with Waghi Valley along the Okuk Highlands Highway. Passed Kuli Gap and descended into fertile belly of Waghi Valley. The testimony of the soil fertility should be the lush tea and coffee trees along either sides of the road. WR Carpenters tea and coffee plantations on either sides of Kudjip is an irresistible sight for photographers to pass by. The tourists toured Banz town, a bustling and fast-growing township serving the newly created Jiwaka Province. Back to Kudjip and another further 40km east to Waghi Bridge and a 10km dirt road drive north to Nondugl. They were in the midst of the event mixing and taking shots of the dancers in colorful costumes. Groups of celebrants from Muinde (border of Chimbu and Jiwaka Province), Minj Junction, Tambul-Nebilyer and one from Nondugl entertained the Japanese tourists. Each tourist was pinned a badge each commemorating their attendance at the 7^th 2010 Coca Cola Waghi Cultural Show by the committee members. They left the vicinity around 2pm with lasting memories of the event and place, friendly people.

The bonuses, as always been and are, for tourists traveling to Waghi Cultural Show apart from seeing the celebrants in finely attired traditional customs, dances and songs are many . But the few notable are the breathtaking scenery of Waghi Valley including the everyday life of people along the roads; the food crops, the gardens, the village huts, markets, food sold on the market, tea and coffee plantations, the ambient temperature and climate and rivers. Innumerable tourism activities can be undertaken within Waghi Valley and Jiwaka Province. A tourist choose to Waghi Cultural Show is not just about witnessing a cultural festival but stepping a into a lifetime adventure of tropical highlands of Papua New Guinea where nature is still pristine with less western influence. Yes, that is where the people still live in their traditional style…much different from urban Papua New Guinea lifestyle.

The 7^th Coca Cola Waghi Cultural Show would not have been staged successfully without the support of Coca Cola Amatil (PNG) and Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority. A word of thank you to the singsing groups that celebrated the annual festival and 22 tourists that have attended through Trans Niugini Tours and Paradise Tours. Praise be to Gob, we acknowledge the Prayer Warriors who were involved in praying for a quiet and peaceful event. Thank almighty for hearing our prayers. Continued support is anticipated in the 8^th Waghi Cultural Show to be held from 11-12 June 2011 at the same location.

For pictures and videos of previous shows and the 2010 event, log into Facebook and check this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Waghi-Cultural-Show/369793836780 .

Feel free to contact the Chairman of Waghi Cultural Show committee, Mr John Koimo on mobile +675 71351439 or email us at waghi_culture@hotmail.com.

(For remainder of photos from the Waghi Cultural Show 2010 see album)

Extra Information for Tourist to Waghi Cultural Show

Background information of Papua New Guinea

It is advisable to check following websites and know as much as possible about Papua New Guinea before deciding to travel here. It is important to note as a tourist important requirements as set by Papua New Guinea government. Check these websites:

Tourism Promotion Authority: www.pngtourism.org.pg

Customs and Immigrations: www.customs.gov.pg

YellowPages www.yellowpages.com.pg. A one-stop-shop directory to products and services in Papua New Guinea.

Also search on Google about other information regarding Papua New Guinea.

The Remote Nondugl, Jiwaka Province Papua New Guinea

Nondugl is a rural constituency of North Waghi Electorate of Western Highlands Provincial (now under Jiwaka Province) Government of Papua New Guinea and also a small government station. It located 5° 52′ 0″ South, 144° 46′ 0″ East on the world map. Click this link to locate Nondugl on the Google Map.

The local government stations boasts a district administration building, police station, heath centre, rugby field, two nearby community schools, a coffee plantation, Christian church buildings, Division of Primary Industry station, public servants houses, small local shops (trade stores), road side markets with local village hamlets are a walking distance from the showground.

The administrative headquarter is Mt Hagen under Western Highlands Province. By 2012, a new administrative centre will be established for the newly created Jiwaka Province.

How to get there

Air Niugini, the national airlines of Papua New Guinea, flies twice daily to Mt Hagen from Port Moresby, Jacksons International Airport. It is the international gateway to Papua New Guinea. Mt Hagen Township is the central hub of the 5 highlands provinces and is only less than 5 minutes drive from Mt Hagen airport westward. Reasonably charged accommodation facilities are found in Mt Hagen. Check www.pngtourism.org.pg under accommodation in Western Highlands Province. Airlines PNG also operates flights between Mt Hagen and Port Moresby.

By road from Mt Hagen to Nondugl, 61km, is about an hour’s drive eastward along scenic Okuk Highlands Highway. The PMV fare is only K5.

You can either plan and fly to Lae-339km southeast (Morobe Province), Madang – 150km southwest (Madang Province), Goroka- 92km northweat (Eastern Highlands Province), Kundiawa -33kmnorthwest(Simbu Province) and travel by road to Nondugl along the Okuk Highlands Highway from the plain savannah coast to the rugged highlands of Papua New Guinea. It takes about 9 hours on PMV from Lae or Madang. PMV fare from both Lae and Madang is K40. It should take about 4 hours from Goroka and less than 2 hours from Kundiawa to reach Waghi Cultural Show venue.

You can hire chauffeured or self-driven vehicles from following international hire car companies: Budget, Hertz and Avis. There many local hire car companies in all towns which you can check through Papua New Guinea Yellowpages (www.yellowpages.com.pg).

Historical Significance of the showground

The showground is a renowned colonial Edward Hallstrom Bird of Paradise Sanctuary from 1948 to 1966. The aviaries were managed by Captained Neptune Blood from 1948 to 1953 when locally well-known “Master Pisin” (Bird Man) Fred Shaw Mayer took over in 1953 as manger. Fred was a famous ornithologist. He bred Bird of Paradise at the site. It acted mainly as a staging post for Taronga Zoo in Sydney, either to provide birds directly for Taronga, or for exchanges with other zoos. A local sheep breeding station was also established around the same time by Edward Hallstrom jointly be Administration of Australian Territories of Papua New Guinea. This was later handed to the Administration but kept the aviaries. Catholic missionaries walked into the area from Mingende Catholic station to Nondugl establishing the Catholic Church. During that time, the local airstrip was constructed by wooden spades and stone axes. Missionaries also introduced modern gardening and working tools like spades, bush knifes and salt. Land was also bought during these periods by the Administrations and Explorers over few cents, cigar, salt and gardening tools.

Road links between nearby areas were connected between 1949 and 1950. This was the first road network linking most of the highlands region. Kerowaghi and Nondugl were connected. This was the construction of first highlands highway. Prior to that, aero plane was the only mode of transport from one centre to others in Papua New Guinea. The nearby airstrips Kerowaghi, Minj, Kup, Danal, Banz, Kol, Tabibuga to name a few. Sheep were transported to Nondugl on DC3 planes 1940s.

The remnants of the sanctuary are the tall tress and three big ponds surrounding the showground. It is within a showground where tourists take photographs or pose for photographs.

Accommodation Facilities

There are no guesthouse or proper accommodation facilities and well defined tourist activities in Nondugl. The only guesthouse that services Trans Niugini Tours tourist is the Waghi Guesthouse at Wara Sek, Nondugl about another 10km northwest from the showground. All tourists to the show have been accommodated at hotels in Mt Hagen. However, there are nearby hotel accommodations at Minj and Banz which are so close to showground and reachable by vehicle within less than hour drive. For accommodation in Western Highlands Province check www.pngtourism.org.pg.

Waghi Cultural Show will endeavor to provide accommodation listing within Waghi Valley before June 2011.

Tourism Activities

Innumerable activities can be enjoyed while in Waghi Valley. Waghi River kayaking, apart from Minj, Alh, Ganinge, Tuman rivers to name a few. Bird Watching, Bush Walking andTrekking, Visit to cultural centre establishments, tours to villages, tea and coffee plantation, visiting local food gardens harvesting food, visiting the Jimi-Waghi divide are just only what we can think of. These activities have to be developed through proper awareness and training by PNG TPA through its local agent.

Communication Infrastructure

Two mobile phone companies have now penetrated the Nondugl constituency. Full strength Digicel mobile phone network coverage covers all around the showground and some 60kms off. BMobile mobile phone network transmission tower installation is completed and now ready to be switched on together with the national only TV channel EMTV. With this communication facilities, you can call or text sms anywhere around the world apart from your satellite phone. Internet compatible activated mobile phones are available on good Digicel shops where you can access internet while on the go at such remote places.

Security

The organizing of Waghi Cultural Show provides ample security for tourists and show goers before, during and/or after the festival period. Mobile PNG Constabulary police from Mt Hagen and other centres are engaged the previous shows boosting local boys mending surveillance around the showground vicinity. With a well-represented community member’s involvement in the Waghi Cultural Show organization, likely upheaval during the festival are detected well before the show and settled in advance before the staging of annual Waghi Cultural Shows. The organizing committee is comprised of local chiefs, Local Level Government Representatives, Church leaders, Women’s and youth group leaders.

Tourists to Waghi Cultural Show have been treated like angels to not only expatriates but Papua New Guineans as well. They left satisfied with fond memories.