The Central Provincial Government and the National Cultural Commission today signed a Memorandum of Agreement to preserve old historical church buildings for tourism purpose in the province.
Acting Provincial Administrator, Francis Koaba said the undertaking comes under the Central Provincial Government’s tourism pillar.
“As part of the heritage program, we want to revive all the historical churches. Some as old as 100 years such as the Yule Island Cathedral. The first missionaries landed on the island in 1884, 4th of July where the church building was erected. Today it is still there in its purest form,” said Mr Koaba.
Apart from the architectural value of these buildings, they present values, cultures and history.
Meanwhile, Minister for Tourism Arts and Culture, Isi Henry Leonard during the signing, said Central Province had a lot to offer in the tourism sector and urged that the provincial government take lead in creating their own products to market.
“To preserve our culture in this country is a mammoth task. The agency alone cannot preserve it. With this signing, it now gives the provincial government the honour and responsibility to engage in the preservation of our cultural heritage,” added Minister Leonard.
National Cultural Commission CEO, Steven Kilanda assured the provincial government that the Commission will support the Central Provincial Government in its yearly cultural events.
“After the signing of this MoU, we will develop the Provincial Events Calendar. So far we have registered ten cultural festivals and shows from the province,” added Mr Kilanda.
