This year's Manit (Culture) Day coincided with World Tourism Day. OCIT capitalized on this occasion to promote awareness of tourism within the islands, highlighting its importance to our local communities and encouraging their involvement in its development. A video was created by the staff to launch a challenge, inviting the community to share their perspectives on tourism and their potential contributions. Additionally, a photo booth centered around the theme of tourism and peace was set up as part of the awareness celebrations.
The Office of Commerce, Investment & Tourism (OCIT) collaborated with the Alele Museum and Public Library this year for a week-long celebration of culture, language, traditions, and history during the Lutok Kobban Alele (LKA). This year's agenda featured a historical revival of legends and traditions through engaging cultural games. Additionally, focusing on restoring traditional skills and folklore through songs and dances.
As one of the key organizers for this year’s Lutok Kobban Alele, OCIT played a crucial role in planning and coordinating the activities for the week-long event. This include elevating the entertainment experience of the battle of the bands and traditional dance competition. Their contributions included crafting scripts throughout the week for each performance, which seamlessly wove together historical and cultural elements, as well as traditional riddles. In addition, they provided daily updates on media and public relations through social media and radio channels, ensuring that the public remained informed about the LKA week activities. These planning and coordination efforts were in line with the Pacific Sustainable
Tourism Policy Framework, with a particular focus on Goal 3 -Visible and Valued Culture.
Through the collaboration between OCIT and Alele Staff, there has been a strong focus on capacity building in marketing by leveraging historical and cultural insights from the museum's collections. Furthermore, strategies for sharing and revitalizing historical and cultural knowledge through events and social media platforms were thoroughly explored.
The successful week-long event greatly boosted Alele's visibility, highlighting its significance to locals and international visitors, as well as audiences across the country and online.
If you would like to know more about the event, follow Alele Musuem and Public Library and Visit Marshall Islands Facebook Pages.