Frangipani Festival reminds Rabaul of its past

By PETER KINJAP

The focus of the O’Neill-Abel Government to divert a large part of the tourism development funds to West and East New Britain, and the Islands region in general has a relevant and notable touch.
It is not to derail and downplay other aspiring provinces in the country in terms of their ability to attract tourists, rather the New Guinea Islands region has visitor numbers to quantify and its performance is gradually catching up with global tourism marketing trends.
Rabaul’s Frangipani Festival is fast becoming a global event, so you can expect in the next few years to see a big climb in tourism numbers for this event that will benefit the province, the region and the country.
It was on the morning of Sept 19, 1994 when Vulcan and Tavurvur volcanoes erupted, forming an ash cloud more than 18km above Rabaul. The eruption caused around 30,000 people to be evacuated from the town and massive damage to buildings and other structures.
Although the volcano caused a lot of hardships for Rabaul, the once quiet town was able to revive itself and regain its reputation as a tropical paradise.
The Frangipani Festival is an event that commemorates the anniversary of the twin volcanic eruptions in which at least seven people died as a result of injuries sustained.
The Frangipani Festival is also a time to celebrate Papua New Guinea’s independence and as part of the festivities there is canoe race around the “beehives” in the harbour.
Schools in Rabaul come together to celebrate. The crowd is usually mesmerised by an Engini – the famous Baining fire dance at the start. The celebration brings in open, fun and cultural activities in Rabaul.
The streets of Rabaul come alive with noise and colour for the annual float parade throughout the town.
The support of the Rabaul community is vital to the event’s success and that has been crucial to the growing number of people attending the festival every year.
The float parade was first held in 1995, on the first anniversary of the twin eruption.
“I think we had only 25 floats and we thought that was a lot,” Susie McGrade, chairman of the organisng committee said. “And it was really only supported by the people who actually lived in Rabaul at the time,” McGrade added.
“Then around the year 2000, we were shocked when there were 65 floats and the Rabaul Market was packed,” she said.
Between 2012 and 2015 the support jumped and people were lining the streets from St Francis Xavier all the way to the Rabaul police station.
In 2016, the parade hit an all-time high with 165 floats. About 7,000 people lined the streets of Rabaul that day.
The canoe race, tagged the Two Stone Kanu, has also been steadily growing in popularity since starting with 40 participants.
“And of course the Kinavai and the Baining fire dances are always well supported. These are very important parts of the event, being the cultural side of the festival and the Rabaul Historical Society is trying to keep culture and history alive,” McGrade said.
The festival enjoys a lot of support from the Tolai people themselves. At peak festival hours, it took travellers two hours to get into Rabaul because all roads from Kerevat, Toma, Put Put, et cetera, were congested for the float parade.
There also has been growing interest among overseas tourists as well as local visitors. Many ex-Tolais living in other provinces, and ex-residents mainly from Australia, visit during the Frangipani Festival.
Tourists looking for a memorable experience certainly get it in Rabaul during that time. Businesses such as shops also make a mint with hotels, resorts and guesthouses in Rabaul are booked to capacity.
The staging of the Frangipani Festival is done through the support of the Rabaul business community. The Member for Rabaul chips in at times, but otherwise there is no government support.
This is the only national festival which is totally free and open to the public and this is all because the Rabaul business houses get behind this festival and support it as they can.
Funds raised from the festival go towards keeping the Rabaul Museum open to the public.
The Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) and other tourism bodies like Air Niugini promote the event, so it is definitely a boost for tourism.
The festival committee, consisting of a team of dedicated volunteers get behind it to organise, with members comprising of Rabaul events chairman Dennison Kyvung, Rabaul town manager Victor Vitliu, and David Pua and Alice Guere, the Rabaul cultural coordinator Dickson Kondaul, a district education representative, Rabaul school heads and McGrade as chairman.
“This year we have a number of sponsorship packages available and would love to hear from any businesses or organisations interested in partnering with the value-pack public and open event. We are always grateful for any donations, no matter how small they may seem,” McGrade said.
Registration for participation is open for the float parade and prizes will be awarded for the most creative, the most entertaining, the best corporate float and the best community group and private float.
Held in September, this festival celebrates the survival of Rabaul after the 1994 eruptions and is named after the glorious trees that still perfume the streets of Rabaul. There are floats (complete with belching volcanoes) that noisily ply the road between Kokopo and Rabaul, cultural dances, rock bands, fireworks (man-made unless Tavurvur joins in) and a canoe race.
Once you have landed in Rabaul, most likely through Port Moresby, you would be met at the airport by friendly Melanesian people and if you are staying in a hotel, you would most probably be guided to your hotel by the pickup van.
On the next day to start it as a new day in Rabaul, you would enjoy a hearty breakfast that includes fresh coconut water, tropical fruits and of course PNG local aroma coffee and tea.
Not only is the festival appealing but there is lot more to see when touring Rabaul. They including the Lark Force and 2/22 Memorial, Montevideo Maru Memorial, Rabaul Museum, Yamamoto’s Bunker, Peace Memorial and the North Side to visit the Submarine Base and trek up the hill to see the tunnels and the Japanese gun overlooking the entrance to Rabaul.
Towards Kokopo, there are the WWII tunnels and a Japanese underground hospital before you continue to see the Kokopo War Museum.
The Bitapaka War Cemetery with unique flowers at the cenotaph is not to be missed. The Vunakanau airstrip, the one that the Hudsons and Wirraways took off in an attempt to protect Rabaul and intercept Japanese aircraft attacking the town, is a must-visit when you are there.
Also visit the smoking Tavurvur volcano and get to see the natural hot springs there. While there you can hear locals from Matupit Village tell the story of the Rabaul volcanoes as well as the most recent eruptions.
After Matupit, enjoy the world renowned volcano observatory on top of Tunnel Hill and the WWII site, Frisbee Ridge.
You cannot miss the Rabaul Bung Market for some local produce. You can try out the local favourite buai with lime and mustard. Or, on another more appealing note, you can taste the local karamaps – banana, fish and greens, wrapped in banana leaves.
Tolai people’s custom of Kinavai, performed by the Tubuan Society, is an ancient tradition still being performed to keep the culture alive.
The Baining fire dance is a very colourful performance, to say the least.
The Frangipani Festival float parade is truly a time to reflect on the disastrous effect that the two volcanoes had on the town of Rabaul.
Although the town was almost completely destroyed by Mother Nature, the people of Rabaul persisted and stand very proud of what has been accomplished, as they should.

• Peter Kinjap is a freelance writer and a blogger. Email: [email protected]