The National Cultural Commission is supporting the Goroka Show Committee with K20, 000 to host the 67th annual event from September 15th to the 17th, this year.
The NCC understands the importance of cultural shows and recently presented a cheque worth K20, 000 to the Goroka show committee to the run the 67th Goroka show from September 15th to the 17th, this year.
NCC Executive Director, Steven Kilanda, said although they are a small agency, its aim to always support as many cultural events as possible.
“We are responsible for the cultural shows and festivals around the country. We have registered around about 97 cultural shows around the country and the Goroka show is the biggest followed by Morobe, Hagen and Enga,” said Kilanda.
Kilanda added that they are supporting cultural shows to give opportunities to people to showcase their culture, promote it and preserve it also.
Goroka Show Committee Chairlady, Keryn Hargreaves, acknowledged NCC for the continuous support towards Goroka show.
“It’s very important that we play a part in preserving and promoting our culture. Through the show it is one of the ways we see that culture is very much alive in PNG, we have got over 150 singsing groups that come and perform and they come from as far as Hela Province down to Morobe and over to Madang and Sepik, we also hoping to get Southern region coming in this year,” said Hargreaves.
Furthermore, the Goroka show will coincide with the 7th Pikinini Day.
Hargreaves, emphasized that cultures and traditions are dying with the old folks, that the Pikinini Day will be a time to teach the next generation these cultures and traditions to preserve them.
Hargreaves hopes that the National Cultural Commission will see the Pikinini festival as an essential part of the event and in the future will be able to support that through education and culture.
“The show is on Friday September the 15th which is a Pikinini day and that’s all about children to come in their bilas, to promote their culture and understand their culture. Children are the footprints into the future to preserving our culture,” said Hargreaves.