Previous Story
Venue, date for Chamorro conference finalized
|
Posted on Aug 28 2008
The organizing committee for the Tetset Konferensian Chamorro concluded negotiations early this week with the management of Saipan World Resort as this year’s venue for the annual conference.
Committee members, including representatives from Guam, also finalized the date for the two-day conference, Sept. 26-27, in a meeting yesterday at the Office of Aging conference room.
The meeting was to discuss the final draft of the program for the conference to be hosted by Saipan for the first time.
The first conference was held in Guam in 2006; Rota was the host last year.
Zita Pangelinan said over a hundred Chamorros composed of students, teachers and members of government agencies and non-government organizations would arrive on Saipan and participate in the discussions.
“There’s a lot of excitement among Chamorros on Guam,” Pangelinan said. She estimated a total of 66,000 Chamorros in Guam including those living in the United States, Australia, the Philippines and other countries.
This year’s theme is “Fana’ gue, Na Metgot, Na’Famta’ (Teach, strengthen and spread or propagate the Chamorro language).
Organizing committee chair Danny Quitugua believes that this annual conference would preserve the vanishing Chamorro language and culture.
The impact of outside influence on the Chamorro culture will be one of the major points they want to take up during the event.
“There’s still pride in the culture. We are now realizing the need to act and now is the time,” said one committee member.
Registration fee would be $35 (with giveaways for every participant) while students and senior citizens will be charged $5.
Exhibitors will be provided with 10×20 tent space and will be charged $5 per day.
