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Friday 4 August 2017

Milne Bay Kenu and Kundu Festival



FOURTEEN years in, Milne Bay's Kenu and Kundu Festival is hitting its feisty teen years with a growing confidence - and for good reason.

At home in the provincial capital of Alotau, this annual festival (which translates to Canoe and Drum Festival) celebrates the colour and energies of its region's passionate island cultures.

From the physical celebrations on the Trobriands' 'Islands of Love' at Yam Harvest time, to the palpable inter-island rivalry vibrating from the war canoe races, locals bring their culture from each of the region's 600 islands to add to this amazing experience.

There are performances, races, competitions and mouth-watering fresh local dishes.

But it is Alotau's progressive attitude that really cements this as a stand out cultural festival.

Alongside culture steeped in deep tradition, Alotau also presents the 'next generation' of south-east Papua New Guinea.

Alotau's creatives merge tradition with today in their own creations for the festival. The result is a cultural experience all of its own.

Modern musicians perform hiphop/ reggae hybrids on stage with their five-piece, for example. Alotau's exciting, young screen-printers splash colour and design on bags and shirts throughout the vibrating crowds. And the region's master carvers have spent months in preparation, their creations a mix of what they know and what they want.

Thanks to their own diversity and the region's history with tourism, Milne Bay has an impressive self-awareness.

The annual Kenu + Kundu Festival is one of the few cultural festivals, worldwide, where the past and the future dance so energetically together.

LIMITED SPACE STILL AVAILABLE ON Oceania Expeditions' 2017 OCT 27 - NOV 06 TOUR, FEAT. THE KENU + KUNDU FESTIVAL. Full itinerary here.

For more information or imagery, email Oceania Expeditions: travel@oceaniaexpeditions.com.au / 0437648412

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