IN a unanimous vote by the Marianas Visitors Authority board of directors, Chamorro and Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month is now officially an MVA annual signature event.
The agency will coordinate with the Carolinian Affairs Office and the Indigenous Affairs Office to promote cultural tourism.
Board members also voted to appropriate $20,000 to fund the event.
MVA board chair Viola Alepuyo said it is important for the MVA to promote the Chamorro and Refaluwasch culture through events such as this because it is what sets the islands apart from other destinations.
“Tourists will come to Saipan for the beaches, but they won’t stay at the beach. They come to seek culture, to see the people, the food. I think that MVA needs to start working harder at promoting that because that’s really what makes us unique as an island. You can go to other islands and other countries and find beaches and blue skies, but you can’t go anywhere else to see how resilient Chamorros are, or the traditions and culture the Refaluwasch people have protected throughout the years. You can only come here to see and feel that,” she said.
She added that the CAO and the IAO will continue to be the driving force behind cultural events, and MVA will provide the support and resources that they need to successfully carry out cultural events.
“I think that the IAO and the CAO should be the one to dictate what the events are because they’re the experts in that area and then MVA should come in and provide all the logistics and support,” she said.
MVA board member Ivan Quichocho, for his part, echoed Alepuyo’s sentiment, noting that the CNMI needs to focus and improve on cultural tourism.
“We need to have cultural tourism and make that a subsect of our calendars, really focus on these events that really highlight the Refaluwasch and the Chamorro cultures,” he said.
MVA Managing Director Priscilla Iakopo added that promoting the CNMI cultures provides visitors an opportunity to learn about its traditions.
“It’s important that we continue to promote our cultures with our partners: the Carolinians Affairs Office, as well as the Indigenous Affairs Office,” she said.
Iakopo said the IAO and the CAO already have a schedule of events for the entire month of September planned out, in honor of Chamorro and Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month.
“There will be school [outreach events] to teach students cultural traditions, like weaving and such. They will also have sunset concerts and cuisine nights. Most importantly, they will have a grand finale celebration where there will be demonstrations of traditions,” she said.
Chamorro and Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month will run through the end of September.
Viola Alepuyo
