Buka island youths concludes colorful Hangan cultural show

The Hangan Mini Cultural Show being held at the Hangan village on Buka Island, kicked off on Thursday and ended yesterday [Saturday] despite heavy downpour.

The show is the brainchild of youths from the village as a way of giving back to the Hangan village, is aimed at promoting cultural heritage and fostering peace and unity in preparation for Bougainville’s future.

With cultures and traditions slowly losing value in communities within the Pacific due to western influence, the Hangan youth realize that cultural practices of their forefathers strengthened respect and other virtues that were slowly fading and have taken the step to rejuvenate the best cultural practices through this event.

The show also serves as a form of identification for the people as a group from the Tsitalato constituency, as Buka Islanders, and as Bougainvilleans as a whole.

The Hangan Mini Cultural Show is being used as a launching pad to plan new strategies by Hangan youths, elites and elders, for the development and future of the village.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Chairperson of the Hangan Cultural Festival Josephine Hagua said, it was not easy planning and getting the festival off the ground as they started with nothing, but the actual hosting of the festival was an achievement in itself for the youths and the people of Hangan.

Opening the event, the member for Tsitalato John Bosco Ragu, congratulated the youths and people of Hangan for their initiative, saying that this was a major way in which culture and traditions could be upheld and taught to the next generation.

He said it was the first time a village had come up with such an initiative at such a period, which fell in line with the true Christmas spirit, steering youths away from destructive habits of alcohol and drugs, whilst at the same time, teaching discipline and respect for their elders and leaders.

He thanked the major sponsors of the event, the Regional Member Peter Tsiamalili, the member for North Bougainville, Francesca Semoso and others, for their support in a worthy event, which aims to hold fast to traditional cultures.