18th Sep, 2011

DWU students raising their hands in recitation of the National Pledge during the 36th Independence Anniversary flag raising ceremony at the Madang campus last Friday, 16th September, 2011.	DWU students in a procession to the flag raising ceremony.

An academic has said that hospitable and sharing gifts with others are two traditional ways of Papua New Guinea that have to be maintained as they are good for people.

Dr Anastasia Sai of the Faculty of Arts at Divine Word University (DWU) pointed this out when addressing the independence anniversary flag raising ceremony at the Madang campus last Friday.

Dr Sai said PNG’s founding fathers have planted the country’s roots on its indigenous traditions and this must be respected. The DWU students and staff clad in the national colours of red, black and gold marked the national day with “Independence Week” activities including a music concert and it culminated with the raising of the provincial flags and the national flag on the national day on September 16, the date when PNG attained independence Australia in 1975.  The independence week activities we organized and managed by Communication Arts students headed by senior student, Christina Tony.

Dr Sai said the national pledge calls upon Papua New Guineans to “pay homage to our cultural heritage, the source of our strength”.

She said two of PNG’s cultural heritage that stand out are “hospitality and giving”.
Dr Sai  said: “We receive people, even if we do know them.

“We are are expected to be good to strangers because one day someone we do not know may good to us in return.

“We are taught to be good to others.

“That rule was with our forefathers and mothers even before Christianity came to our shores.

“It was God’s way of revealing to our people the good values.

Dr Said the second traditional PNG gift is that of giving.

“We are a people that are giving; we give even if it is the last thing we have.

“We always want to give the best we have.

“We give because it is in giving that we receive.

“It is in giving that we build relationships.

“Our people know the value of giving because it gives life,” Dr Sai said. The “independence week” activities and flag raising at DWU was among several events organised in Madang town to mark the national day.

Students from central province raising their provincial flag as part of the independence anniversary celebration.	Three students in PNG colours during the36th  independence anniversary flag raising ceremony last Friday, 16th September, 2011.