Meet your MACFest 2018 national organising committee

By Gary Hatigeva

Members of the MAC Fest 2018 NOC – Left-Right – Chairman Andrew Nihopara – Vice-Chair Moses Tepai – Secretary Lilly Tinoni – Head Finance Denty Tuke – Customs and Immigration Martha Ausolo – Head of Events and Venues Dennis Marita

AS we now mark 108 days away from officially hosting the Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival 2018, we introduce to you the events National Committee or called in short, the MACFNOC.

The MACFNOC comprises of officers from various Solomon Islands Government ministries and several sitting members from other organisations and institutions within the country.

According the Committee’s head of Events and Venues, Dennis Marita during a launch on Monday explained that from the committee, most will be heading sub-committees responsible for various functions of the festival.

The committee consists of a Chairman, Mr Andrew Nihopara who is also the Permanent Secretary and assisted by Mr Moses Tepai, the Under Secretary, both from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Nihopara will strictly supervise in nature and chairs all MAFNOC meetings at the same time heads consultations and negotiations on Festival matters, as well as the accountable officer in terms of finances.

The Chair according to the committee structure and guide, will report back to the Government through the Minister of Culture and Tourism, while also liaises between the Government, relevant stakeholders and MAFNOC.

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chairman is expected to chair meetings in the absence of the Chairman and also liaise with all Sub-committee Chairs and briefs the Festival Chair on their respective progresses at the same time runs the administration of the Festival Secretariat.

Tepai will also be responsible for the compilation of the Final Report at the conclusion of the Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival.

Meet Lilly Tinoni, the Executive Personal Secretary at Ministry of Culture and Tourism who is one of the only two females in the Local Organising Committee.

With her responsibility as Secretary to the MAC Fest, she is responsible for organising and preparation of MAFNOC meetings, and also takes records of meetings and disseminates information to members.

The Secretary is also expected to make appointments and logistical arrangements for consultations and meetings including other general administration work.

As for this Committee, it is one group that any organising committees or events cannot go without and that is the Finance section.

Meet Denty Tuke who is the Head of Finance sub-committee, which is expected to play more of an advisory and monitoring role to ensure that Government Finances are utilised appropriately and transparently inclined with Government Financial Instructions (FIs).

Members of the Finance Sub-Committee will include representatives from the Accountant General’s Office, Auditor General’s Office, Attorney General’s Chamber, and Central Tender Board.

The committee is also expected to ensure the smooth and speedy facilitation of procurements to meet festival datelines, while at the same time entrusted to do up the audit report at the end of the festival.

Tuke is also the Assistant Accountant General for the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

Meet Martha Ausolo from the Customs and Excise division at Ministry of Finance and Treasury, another of the only two female officials within the organising committee who is tasked to head the event’s sub-committee responsible for matters on Customs and Immigration.

This Sub-Committee will be responsible for all arrivals and departures at the airport and to ensure that there is a smooth flow through the immigration services for purposes of time and convenience.

The committee is also expected to liaise with their counter-parts in participating countries on matters of immigration and visas.

The committee is to ensure that all goods arriving through international entry points to go through relevant procedures in compliance with Solomon Islands’ laws.

The committee will formulate a strategy of how to handle all airport arrivals and Departures while at the same time liaise with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) regarding any breech of our Customs and Immigration Laws.

Follow us in our next issues for the remaining members and heads of various sub-committees and sections party to the Local Organising Committee but before this one ends, we want you to meet Dennis Marita, the Director of Culture at Ministry of Culture and Tourism who is also the Head of the programmes & events sub-committee.

While Marita is in charge of Events and venues for the Festival, he and his sub-committee would probably have some of the biggest tasks in hand, one of which is to draw up the entire festival programme according to the various proposed activities for the festival.

His committee is expected to liaise with the Festival Secretariat to know the status of the participating countries in terms of areas of participation, participation numbers and participation requirements.

This committee comprise of people who will be responsible for the Performing Arts, which of course includes dance, music, theatre and others.

They are also responsible for Arts Exhibitions, which will include Visual arts, contemporary arts, Handicrafts, sculptor, and other related areas.

Marita and his committee will also be looking after Literary Arts, Canoeing and Navigation, Fashion, Film, Symposiums, and Ceremonies, which includes the Ecumenical service, opening and closing.

End/// 1 PIC

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