‘We can find strength from our past, for better future’

Islands

EMBRACE the past and look to a bright future, Port Moresby Bougainville Association women’s representative Cecilia Kenevi says.
Speaking during the Bougainville Day celebration on Saturday, Kenevi urged people to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the 10-year conflict to build a better future. Kenevi, a long-time Port Moresby resident from Bougainville, owns Jack and Jill Elementary School.
“Every time we celebrate our day, we forget to acknowledge those who lost their lives during the war,” she said.
“If we can pay tribute to our old Bougainville, it will make us strong to embrace the new Bougainville.”
They observed a minute of silence to those that lost their lives so the new generation could survive.
Kenevi urged the people of Bougainville to be united despite their differences or districts they came from.
She said unity was important as they gear up towards the referendum in 2019.
“If you are from Siwai, Buin, Kieta, Buka or the Atolls, you must not isolate yourselves from one and other,” she said.