Abel launches Tufi show

By HELEN TARAWA
After almost 26 years I visited Tufi in Ijivitari District of Northern for the Tapa-Tattoo Cultural Show launched by Deputy Prime Minister, Treasurer and Alotau MP Charles Abel.
Tufi is very unique for its fjords and the many dive spots and white sandy beaches which make it a sleeping giant for tourism.
Add to that the famous tapa cloth which is beaten from the bark of a paper mulberry tree and designed with colorful patterns that are unique to the Tufi area.
Tapa cloth is typical of Oro and is decorated with exotic natural earth colours, native plant dyes and charcoal. It is very beautiful and very special fabric unique to the people of Oro.
And the initiative by Ijivitari MP Richard Masere to partner with the Kundu and Kenu Festival of Milne Bay sets the platform in the right direction.
The annual Kundu and Kenu Festival in November is a big tourist attraction and the idea to piggy-back on this event to have Tufi Tapa and Tattoo cultural show follow on will certainly go a long way in developing tourism for Northern.
Abel said Tufi had a big potential in tourism development and as neighboring province he was willing to support Masere.
One of the biggest setbacks for Tufi has been the constant water problems but the good news is that a K100,000 water project has been earmarked for the district.
Abel made a commitment to support the people of Tufi in Ijivitari district with the water project of which he paid the first K25,000 during the launching of the Tapa-Tattoo Cultural Show.
“We need to cut good deals for PNG and we have quality leadership in Parliament to make sure the benefits translate to the people of PNG.
“I’m here to work with people like Ijuvitari MP Richard Masere, our presidents and councilors. I’ll do everything I can in my power to help convert Ijivitari and Tufi,” Abel said.
Masere said it was an event that would go on for a long time in Northern.
“We decided to partner with Milne Bay, our neighbor, to showcase our culture to the rest of PNG,” he said.
“Today we are here to celebrate our culture and own heritage through this Tufi Tapa-Tattoo Cultural Show.
“Our country is diverse with over 1000 different cultures and languages.
“We face a lot of challenges and difficulties because of our terrain and our rugged mountains.”
Masere said Milne Bay’s Kenu and Kundu Festival was on the first week of November in the Tourism Promotion Authority calendar while the Tapa Tattoo show would be held the following week.
“We can run it in partnership with the people of Oro going to support the Milne Bays, and they in return will come to us,” he said.
Abel said it was a great initiative to connect Tapa and Tattoo with the Kundu and Kenu so that cruise ships could continue on to Tufi.
A few media colleagues and I had the opportunity to be a part of the milestone event the launching the Tufi Tapa-Taftoo Festival for the people of Tufi and Northern which coincided with the 43rd Independence Day celebrations.
The two-day festival from Saturday, Sept 15 and Sunday, Sept 16 was an excellent opportunity where the locals displayed some of the best art and crafts from the Tufi area.
Abel in the company of wife Hacy, MP Masere and wife Cothilda took a tour of the entire display staged during the festival.
Most of the stalls were built with traditional materials and the women also sampled the tapa designs.
Tufi is a town located on the south eastern peninsula of Cape Nelson, Northern.
It is located on one of many rias or drowned river valleys, locally referred to as ‘fjords’, on Cape Nelson surrounded by many uncharted reefs. The area is also famous for its production of tapa cloth.
Very little change has happened in Tufi which could be noted including the work done by No Roads Health Medical Expedition team who had supported the building of health facilities.
Tufi is accessible by air and sea transport. The airstrip which needs urgent development is serviced by third level airlines including Air PNG which has flights daily.
Abel who also took along with him representatives from the Australian government and the Innovative Agro Industries Ltd called on them to look at investing in Tufi.
“I brought some special people from the Innovative Agro Industries company, the Israeli company that’s partnering with our government and running the Ilimo dairy farm Ilimo and vegetable farms in 9-Mile, Hela, Enga and Southern Highlands and also doing chicken and other vegetable projects.
“We have wonderful flatland for rice and other food to create job opportunities and investment for our people. If government is struggling then we need investment in the country.
“Bring in these investors to look at our place and please any possibility we want you to come and help us and at the same time build roads and a jetty and bring the industry to us, give some opportunity to our people. That’s what we are crying for in the villages, we want money in our pockets,” the DPM said.
“Our people need opportunities and we need partnership. We have made too many mistakes in the past; we haven’t made good agreements with our resource projects. We are only 43 years old but we are still babies and we are learning from our mistakes but it’s about time that we learn to grow up now.
“It’s about time educated Papua New Guineans cut good deals for PNG, and we have good quality leadership in Parliament and we make sure the benefits transfer faster to the people.
“I’m here to work with people like Richard Masere, our presidents and councilors and I’ll do everything in my power to help Masere to convert Ijivitari and Tufi.
“Masere has done the right thing. We will focus and get the water supply up and running using the old system.
“We’re going to get this cultural show, water supply and rice project and you link up with Tourism Promotion Authority.
“We will connect the Kundu and Kenu Festival and Tapa and Tattoo Cultural Festival and when we line all the festivals together the tourists will come.
“We’ve got a long way to go but we are proud and united people. We are welcoming, peaceful people. This is our land and we expect respect when you are on the land.
“We are the landowners here and primary beneficiaries here. We will contribute our land for fair benefits and we will partner with people like Tufi Resort and I want to say thank you for giving some service to our people.
“Congratulations Masere, so many years and our festival is back up and running and Tufi is got a beautiful and wonderful cuture and we want to showcase it to the world and my brother I’m going to support you,” Abel said.
If the Government’s plans to have an additional district in Ijivitari goes ahead, then Tufi would certainly be the best option for the township and tourism development will go a long way.