Ipatas urges villagers to embrace heritage

National

ENGA Governor Sir Peter Ipatas has urged villages and communities to develop, promote and embrace their cultural heritage.
Speaking during the launch of the inaugural Kopen Take Pii festival and cultural resources development project at Kopen village outside Wabag town last week, Sir Peter said culture would sustain people’s livelihood in the long run.
Sir Peter said culture and tourism were important assets and almost 90 per cent of tourists came into the country under cultural activities and programmes.
“When our non-renewable resources run out, our fall-back is our culture and agriculture sectors and that’s why we should look further to develop, revive and preserve our cultures and traditions that will support our livelihood in the future,” he said.
Sir Peter said culture was one sector that the Enga government wanted to develop following a memorandum of understanding signed between the National Cultural Commission to facilitate all cultural and festival activities in the province.
“Initiating such cultural festivals and activities will address escalating law and order problems, where young men, women and elders can participate in such programmes so their attitudes can change and embrace huge developments that are being implemented in the province such as the Enga Hospital, Sopas School of Nursing, Enga Teachers College, Enga University of Goroka Campus, new Hela Technical College and others,” he said.
“By investing in events, securing appropriate communication, providing frameworks for local engagement and establishing collaboration with the tourism industry, festivals and events can make communities prosper and give individual residents a reason to believe in the future.”