Solomons try

to raise the festival wind

Although beset by money-raising problems, the Solomon Islands or ganising committee for the South Pacific Arts Festival was making a determined last-minute bid in April to get its 70-strong contingent to Suva.

By the beginning of April just under $l,OOO had been raised—some $4,000 short of the target. The gov ernment promised the committee the balance on a dollar for dollar basis, which means $5,000 has to be squeezed from the public pocket first to make up half the cost of shipping the contingent to Fiji, estimated at roughly $9,500 for the charter of the Marine Department’s flagship Belama.

The BSI Teachers’ Training Col lege, which now has a big stake in the venture, has been holding dancing displays and has contributed about $4OO.

The college will supply most of the Solomons’ dancers.

Committee members have privately admitted that public support has been generally apathetic. It would be fair to say that most people, in and out of government, are wondering just what the Solomons is going to get out of the whole extravaganza. It is not as if this type of entertainment and arts and crafts to be featured by the Solomons is in any danger of extinction. The shell monev makers (of which several are included) still happily make shell money in the arti ficial islands of Malaita and elsewhere and the carvers still prolifically carve.

Yet money is beginning to dribble from such sources as the Western District Council, from philanthropist Dr. Charles Fox of Taroaniara and a variety of other individuals and organisations.

However, the last big effort looks like being the end-of-the-month “Culture Week” in which the whole contingent will perform or otherwise show its wares as part of a dry run in the capital not long before it leaves —supposing it does leave. In the meantime a raffle is drawing to its conclusion and resident artist Les Tickle is auctioning some paintings, expected to raise about $5OO.