CULTURE MINISTER IMPRESSED WITH GUAM 2016 PREPARATIONS

Honourable Bartholomew Parapolo, Minister for Culture and Tourism and MP for Ngella Constituency, Central Islands. Photo credit: GCU.

Honourable Bartholomew Parapolo, Minister for Culture and Tourism and MP for Ngella Constituency, Central Islands. Photo credit: GCU.

The Minister of Culture and Tourism Bartholomew Parapolo is impressed with preparations for the country’s participation at this year’s 12th Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam.

Minister Parapolo met with the National Organising Taskforce where he was briefed on the preparation progress.

Acting Permanent Secretary and Chairman of the Taskforce, Moses Tepai told the Minister, his Taskforce Members have been working actively to ensure requirements for Solomon Islands participation are fulfilled ahead of the festival in May.

Since February this year, the Taskforce has been actively involved in securing funds from the Government, travel arrangements including passports and visas, selecting artists, musicians, craftsmen and women and cultural groups that will make up the Solomon Islands delegation.

Solomon Islands is hoping to send a 170 member delegation to the festival comprising artists and cultural practitioners in performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, traditional, contemporary arts,
workshops and symposiums.

Among the events, coinciding with the festival in Guam will be the third Pacific Ministers of Culture meeting, to be facilitated by Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Meanwhile, the country’s delegation to the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam commenced their US visa interview yesterday.

Director of Culture and Tourism within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Denis Marita says, officials from the US Embassy in Port Moresby are in Honiara to conduct the interview.

Mr. Marita says, they are prioritising all travelling arrangement starting this week.

“So we will be kicking off US visa interviews until Friday and we will conduct medical checks for delegates when the interviews will start.”

The delegation departs May 21st.

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