| Palau counts down to the 9th Festival of Pacific Arts The northern Pacific republic of Palau has opened three new major buildings on the eve of the 9th Festival of Pacific Arts. The new buildings, in the Palauan capital of Koror, are part of a major pre-festival spruce-up, says festival director and state Minister for Community and Cultural Affairs Alexander Merep. Merep says the new facilities will bring great economic and cultural benefits to Palau's people long after the end of the 10-day cultural celebration, providing new places to display precious artefacts, and bringing people together to share traditional Palauan practices. Last week saw the opening of two of the new buildings: one is the US$ 2.2m Belau National Museum, which replaces a cramped and aged building that was unable to house all of Palau's precious relics; the other building is the US$ 2.6m Ngarachamayong Cultural Center, an eye-catching building designed to reflect the shape of a Palauan canoe. Yesterday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of a new US$ 400,000 grandstand at the Palau Community College sports track, where the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival will be held. Local, state and public schools, which are housing the various Pacific Island delegations, have been refurbished, with many given brand-new bathrooms and cafeterias, says Minister Merep. This week, workers are busily waterblasting walls and carparks around festival sites. | |
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