By Martha Louis – EMTV News, Madang
Four men from East Sepik Province living in Madang were asked to carve four portraits of the main APEC Summit in November in Port Moresby. This was an opportunity to expose the unique talents in Papua New Guinea to the outside world.
Last week, the four men were invited by Sir Peter Barter, to carve out a monument as a symbol of the recent APEC meeting in Madang. Upon this invitation, the four men carved a portrait of the APEC Sumit meeting in Madang for Sir Peter Barter, a duplicated image on the K5 note. The portrait has captured the attention of the APEC officials.
These men’s livelihoods depend on the sale of their arts and crafts. For this portrait alone, it usually takes up to a month to complete, however, the four men took two days and a night to complete.
The head of the monument has the APEC logo or emblem, and at the lower part of the statue is a figure of a woman from Raicoast representing Madang. The other side of the carving is an image of a man from East Sepik Province.
The four men have impressed the APEC officials who have asked them to make four more similar monuments and have them erected in Port Moresby for the main summit in November. Members of the APEC Senior Finance Officials Meeting were also fascinated to watch the four men carve out their art.
