Hiri queen encourages girls to enter contest

By PHOEBE GWANGILO
THE 2019 Hiri Moale Festival queen Sara Vani says she has benefitted a lot from her reign and urged local girls to try it out.
“The exposure is fantastic. It linked me with a lot of people. It gave me exposure to be where I am right now,” she said.
The 23-year-old attended the launching of the 2021 Hiri Moale Festival at City Hall in Port Moresby yesterday.
“I had to go to events where I was invited as the keynote speaker and also I became the mistress of ceremony for a few prestigious events.”
Vani, the daughter of the 1996 Hiri queen, said she used the scholarship for her tuition fee at the University of PNG.
She is a third-year journalism student.
“My encouragement to Motu-Koitabuans is to embrace your culture,” Vani said.
“It’s lovely. Nothing regrettable about it. I love it. I’m so glad I took part.”
The festival was cancelled last year because of the Coronavirus, according to Motu Koita Assembly chairman Dadi Toka Jr.
It will now be held from Nov 19 to 21.
It starts with a Hiri Moale sponsors’ night on Nov 19.
There will be 25 cultural singsing groups performing rituals and sacred dances on Saturday.
There will be a small-medium enterprise market organised by the POM City Markets with 50 stalls reserved for Motu-Koitabuans. The canoe racing festival will also take place on Saturday.
The festival ends on Sunday with the Hiri Hanenamo pageant.