Sanguma Bands deserve Queen’s awards

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National – Tuesday, December 14, 2010

I BELIEVE our premier band that put Papua New Guinea on the world map in the 1970s after we attained independence should be rewarded.
The Sanguma Band was formed at the then National Arts School in 1976.
It took the members three years to practise and compose some very unique Papua New Guinean sounds by blending traditional and modern musical instruments.
They were the first band to
use keyboards and synthesiser and sang their original composition while other local bands at that period were belting out household names like CCR, Beatles, Elvis Presley, etc.
Sanguma made its mark in the US in the early 1980s as one of the first PNG artistes to leave our shores and take on the world.
Until today, they remain PNG’s only professional musicians.
The members of Sanguma were Tony Soru Subam (Madang), Paul Wiggy Yabo (Sepik), Apa Saun (Sepik), Buruka Tau (Central), Sebastin Miyoni (Milne Bay), Raymond Hakenai (North Solomons) and Thomas Komboi (Sepik).
They deserve to be awarded next year’s Queen’s award.

 
Thomas Mabi
Lae