Milne Bay Province is once again set to come alive this festive season with the traditional staging of the two-day Huhu War Canoe Festival starting Wednesday (tomorrow) 22nd December until Thursday 23rd December, kicking off the Christmas festivities in the province. And what better way to welcome the Christmas activities with BSP Alotau Branch coming on board for the first year as a Bronze sponsor, with K10,000 towards the Canoe Festival. “People and culture play an integral part in strengthening community and business relationships,” said BSP Alotau Branch Manager Martin Gilo, when presenting the K10,000 cheque to the Huhu War Canoe Festival Committee (HWCF) for the upcoming canoe festival. “As the only home-grown bank in the South Pacific, we like to grow with our community, and investing in events like this enhances our community relationships,” said Mr Gilo. “While we acknowledged Milne Bay Province as a prominent tourism hub in the country and a key contributor to PNG’s economy, we believe supporting this event will encourage tourism and expose local and traditional products,” added Gilo. Chairman of the Huhu War Canoe Festival Committee, Kaimuyoni Kila, thanked BSP saying, “We are thrilled that BSP continues to support our events. The cultural events are a powerful expression of creativity and an integral part of the local community and we are fortunate to have BSP as a community partner.” This year is the first year BSP has stepped in to support the Huhu War Canoe Festival as Bronze sponsors, and hope that the support will continue to develop the close relationship with the Milne Bay community. Over the years, BSP remains committed to building strong partnerships with communities through supporting cultural events, including the Kenu & Kundu Festival, Goroka Show, Morobe Agricultural Show, Sepik Crocodile Festival, Wawagira & Mask Festival, Bulolo Show and Rabaul Frangipani Show. This year, the bank has invested over a million Kina in sponsorship in supporting Charities and Organizations, Conferences and Sports. BSP takes great pride in supporting the people and causes that are important to our customers throughout Papua New Guinea and across the South Pacific. The two days festival will be held in Milne Bay Province starting on Wednesday 22nd December, 2021, and Thursday 23th December, 2021. Picture courtesy: papuanewguinea.travel