Russian group visits Madang

National

A GROUP led by the nephew of the Russian explorer Nickolay Miklouho-Maclay who was in PNG in 1871 to 1872 arrived in Madang recently.
The nephew, of the same name, arrived on Sept 16 and was welcomed by Madang-based businessman Sir Peter Barter who took the team to Gorendu village in Constantine Harbour, Astrolabe Bay in Rai Coast, Madang.
Maclay again visited Madang in 1876 and in 1883.
The group was welcomed by the descendants of Kui, Kukurai of Gorendu who in 1871 looked after Maclay on his arrival aboard the Russian frigate Vitiaz and remained there until 1873.
Today many Russian words remain a part of the “ples tok” (local vernacular), including Raicoast – an adaption of Maclay Coast meaning “paradise” in Russian.
According to Sir Peter, Maclay and his team were met and welcomed by thousands of Raicoast people.
They left Gorendu last Wednesday. People from surrounding villages performed dances and dramas for visitors including the Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.
Later in the day with the help of Telikom and the Melanesian Tourist Services IT staff, a live telecast was held at Gorendu village through a Russian media consortium where Maclay introduced Sir Michael and Sir Peter to an estimated audience of more than 40 million viewers.