Dr Simet: Plans in place but waiting for funding

Caption: Dr Jacob Simet

By MATTHEW VARI

Wednesday, October 9, 2013 (Midweek Chronicle, PNG)

ORGANISATION of the fifth Melanesian Arts Festival has been on track- with the National Cultural Commission waiting on Treasury to release funds allocated to host the festival, which will be revised from the previously stated amount of K53 million, according to the Acting Director Dr Jacob Simet.

The acting director said that all plans for the festival have been achieved- with the only thing left was for funding to be released for work to commence to have the facilities prepared before July 2014.

“We have done what is necessary up to this point, and basically what we are now waiting for is Treasury, we are still negotiating on what the actual figure might be.”

“As you know an original figure of K53 million was identified by NEC earlier in the year- we have to revise that because of the shortage of funding that is around, but in terms of the groundwork we’ve already done that.”

Simet said that the festival will be held mostly in Port Moresby- with a number of venues identified in various parts of the city.

The main festival village will be located just across from the National Museum and Parliament, beside the Fincorp Building at Waigani, and other venues include Gerehu, Ela Beach, Port Moresby Arts Theatre, and University of Papua New Guinea.

“If there are other places where we have to build, we will build stages and other facilities there.”

Accommodation we be arranged with a number of institutions including; Institute of Public Administration, In-Service College, and the Works Training College.

Hosting of the festival will see an overseas delegation 1,050 people participating- 150 participants delegates per country or group, which is the ceiling that the commission is giving everyone.

When asked about the program plan, the Director emphasised that the meeting would contribute to the content of the program, however, a draft program was already in place.

“We have a draft program, but it will depend on how the delegations from the other countries will see it and suggest changes.”

“There is a whole list of activities, the activities that are common to the staging of previous festivals, which include performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, and a number of other things we will break down.”

“What will happen is that we will develop a program, and we will have to send it back to the participating countries- and say that this is what we propose to have as activities in the program. Which ones do you want to respond to so we can adjust the program.”

The program normally does not get finalised till a month before, so we know who is coming with what- also at the same time we will develop programs on the satellite venues will be included so that selected areas around the country will have a taste of the festival also.