Arts Festival opens with fireworks and canoes

IN a spectacular opening ceremony of the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts, hundreds of Honiara residents and members of the Papua New Guinea delegation awoke early for a fireworks display and the arrival of traditional war canoes.
The opening was held at the AE Oval Beachfront, which was set alight with spectacular colours and cultural performances in a ceremonial welcome for the groups.
The huge gathering found themselves under the many beautiful colours of the rising sun at the AE Oval beachfront yesterday to the sounds of cultural performances.
The gala set the 11th festival in motion ahead of Monday afternoon’s grand opening at the Lawson Tama stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Proceedings started shortly after 4am and ended at 7am.
Highlights of the event were fireworks, presentation of gifts to heads of delegates on behalf of their contingents, the landing of traditional war canoes (Tomoko) and sailing of the Vaka, which sailed across the world in the past two years.
Many PNG delegates at the scene admitted they had never seen such a spectacular event.
Solomon Island Minister for Culture and Tourism Samuel Manetoali welcomed the Pacific delegates and presented each with shell money, a Nguzunguzu carving and traditional food.
“The gifts are to show appreciation and to welcome the Pacific contingents to the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts, which is practised in the previous festivals in the Melanesian cultures,” he said.
As the traditional ceremony continued, war canoes from Western province in Solomon Islands, the Vaka, haka and traditional pudding were the main highlights.
Twenty-two countries are represented at the festival.
The festival village at the Panatina grounds opened on Tuesday.