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Media Releases, 31 August 2015

EMPNG supports the 5th Kutubu Kundu and Digaso Festival

For the fourth consecutive year ExxonMobil PNG (EMPNG), operator of the PNG LNG project is a major sponsor of the Kutubu Kundu Digaso Festival.

ExxonMobil's K29,000 support will help the cost of mobilizing festival logistics and transportation of the sing-sing groups.

Thousands of visitors are expected to attend the annual festival at Pimaga Village, Nipa - Kutubu District in the Southern Highlands Province from 25 to 26 September.

The Kutubu Kundu Digaso Festival (KKDF) steering committee and the hosting community welcomed ExxonMobil PNG's continued support to the event.

KKDF Chairman, James Irimaru said the event aims to promote the preservation of rich biodiversity, preserve Kutubu's cultural heritage, and promote sustainable resource conservation.

"It is an educational event for our children and young people to not forget the richness of our culture, we truly appreciate EMPNG's support," James said.

EMPNG Pipeline Supervisor, Lary Adams said ExxonMobil PNG is deeply committed to preserving Papua New Guinea's unique environment and cultural heritage for future generations.

"The long-term preservation of the environment around our operations is very important to the PNG LNG Project," said Lary.

"The festival provides an opportunity to share the unique culture of the region and most importantly share the message of conservation and bio-diversity."

The Kutubu region is one of the most important rainforest areas on the planet with lowland moist tropical rainforest, such as that around Lake Kutubu and the Kutubu region, contains rare species of plant, animal and insect unique to Papua New Guinea.

The festivals main highlights include sing-sing groups, Digaso oil extraction and Kutubu Kundu drums demonstration with arts and crafts displays.

The theme of this year's festival is 'Preserving our cultural heritage through saving our environment'.