25th Flame Tree arts fest slated as top 2006 draw

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is inviting artists and visitors from through the Pacific and Asia to join them in April 2006 for the quarter century anniversary of the Flame Tree Arts Festival, Micronesia’s largest arts and culture festival.

Planning has begun for the 2006 Festival to be held April 24-30, 2006, in Saipan, CNMI. The Flame Tree Arts Festival features performing, visual and literary arts, as well as international food, traditional canoeing, and a film festival. Formal invitations will be sent this month to over 30 island states and nations in Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia

“The Festival has become an important part of our community, showcasing the great talent of our resident artists, assisting in the preservation and promotion of our traditional Marianas and Micronesian heritage and adding to the economy through the participation of off-island artists and visitors at the event, “ said executive director Robert Hunter of the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture. “It is our goal to see the festival become a yearly draw in-and-of-itself for tourists. For the 25th anniversary we are aggressively pursuing this goal by broadening our promotions and our invitations to other island entities.”

The CNMI will provide official delegations of up to 20 members with housing, meals, and ground transportation on Saipan. Delegations from Guam, the Republic of Palau, Nauru, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Hawaii have participated in prior festivals.

“In addition to seeking the participation of more off-island artists and visitors, we are reviving some activities and incorporating new ones that will make this year’s festival the most enriching yet,” said Hunter. “Our plans include conducting symposiums and workshops for the general public and schools, demonstrating canoe building on-site, publishing a book of poetry by Pacific Island youth, expanding the film festival to include Pacific-wide entries, and having local villages collaborate with off-island delegations for floats in the Parade of Cultures.”

The Flame Tree Arts Festival will include live performances and over 100 booths for artists to display, sell and demonstrate traditional crafts and contemporary artwork. A Parade of Cultures featuring traditional ethnic costumes is also planned for Saipan’s main tourist district.

For more information, contact the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture at 670-322-9982/83; fax 670-322-9028; e-mail galaidi@vzpacifica.net; or mailing address at P.O. Box 5333 CHRB, Saipan, MP 96950. (PR)