SHP will make K100,000 available yearly for festival

The National Main Stories

By PETER WARI
THE Southern Highlands government will make available K100,000 annually for the Kutubu Kundu and Digaso Festival (KKDF), says provincial administrator Jerry David.
The festival is partly a celebration of their cultural heritage and include the Kutubu Foe and Faso people besides Bosave and Huli in Hela.
David was not at the festival on Thursday at the Daka village in Nipa-Kutubu, but, told The National that the provincial government was committed to support the festival and other activities that promoted eco-tourism.
People flocked to the area to watch several cultural and theatre groups performing while arts and craft were on display, followed by the opening of the festival grandstand and community footbridge.
“Preserving our traditional practices and beliefs is vital, the provincial government is proud to partner other organisations such as World Wild Life Fund (WWF), Mineral Resource Development Corporation, community development initiatives,” David said.
“Currently, WWF is working along the Kikori Basin, and now the KKDF (festival) to promote the protection of the region’s rich biodiversity, and sustainability through eco-tourism so that traditional practices, beliefs and natural environment can be preserved.
“We want the extension of WWF to other project-impacted areas such as the Erave local level government (LLG), Kutubu LLG and later into districts like the Mendi-Munihu that has the second highest mountain, Mt Giluwe.”
WWF country manager Joana Maima said in 2010, a local theatre group was formed to stage environment and cultural awareness, performances to promote and preserve natural and cultural heritage in the region.
She said WWF upscaled the theatre group to a larger event now known as the KKDF, which was gazetted in 2017 as a national event.
“WWF had worked with KKDF committee in establishing additional nature-based tourism products and continued to provide support for community livelihood development initiatives and encouraged forest conservation,” Maima said.