Kenu, kundu festival to trial extension

AS a lead-up to the 10th anniversary of the National Kenu and Kundu Festival next year, organisers will trial an extended week of activities before the festival weekend in Alotau, Milne Bay, in November.
They are teaming up with organisers of the Milne Bay Music Festival, who will stage their event the week leading up to the Kenu and Kundu weekend, in which the winners of the music festival will be featured.
National Kenu and Kundu Festival chairman Peter Tarumuri said the festival village would come alive days before the event began on Nov 2, fitting in traditional choirs, string bands, drama and folklore as teasers to what could be expected on the three-day festival weekend.
This year the committee is looking to put together a proper write up on the festival, with traditional canoe associations that will take part this year being encouraged to work on a history of canoes from their respective areas.
Tarumuri said putting together proper documentation and traditional knowledge on the variety of the two featured aspects of the festival – the canoe and the kundu, was a great way to sum it all up.
Preparations for the National Kenu and Kundu Festival, supported by naming rights sponsor Bank South Pacific, begins at the end of this month in Alotau.
Tarumuri said the committee would be going all out this year, with a couple of groups from other provinces already confirming their attendance.
That includes traditional dance groups from Mekeo in Central, a group from Manus and the Amiso Cultural Group of Mali in New Ireland.
The festival will be from Nov 2-4 this year.