Miklouho-Maclay Foundation at APEC 2018 in Port Moresby

Date of event: November 18, 2018
Event location: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Organized by the Miklouho-Maclay Foundation

Memorandum and agreements signing ceremony was held on November 18, 2018 at the Hilton hotel, which is the residence of the Russian delegation at the APEC summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The ceremony, which was the culmination of the productive work of the Miklouho-Maclay Foundation for the Preservation of Ethnocultural Heritage in the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, brought together representatives of the Russian delegation and state institutions of the island state. Honorary guests of the ceremony were: Lyudmila Vorobieva, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and the Republic of Indonesia; Alexey Medvedev, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Sergey Pokhilko, Head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Russian Federation Government.

The signing ceremony consisted of several parts. The first part was the signing of memorandum and agreement with the University of Papua New Guinea, which was represented by Jim Robbins, the head of public relations and events. In a solemn atmosphere Nickolay Miklouho-Maclay, the founder and Director of the Miklouho-Maclay Foundation, and Jim Robbins signed a memorandum of gratuitous transfer of rights for broadcasting and distribution within the territory of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea two documentaries «Citizen of the World» and «The Man from the Moon» for educational purposes. An agreement for distribution of the book «Journey to the Maclay Coast» by Nickolay Miklouho-Maclay was signed as well, and the limited edition of 100 copies in English was produced in collaboration with the University of Papua New Guinea.

Miklouho-Maclay Foundation and the Divine Word University representatives signed another Memorandum of Cooperation and support for the scientific research expedition to the Maclay Coast (Rai coast). The University was represented by Cecilia Nembou, DWU President, who also then agreed to deliver gift T-shirts to residents of the Madang region. Nickolay Miklouho-Maclay noted that it was the people of the Maclay Coast (Rai Coast) who motivated him to make cultural and educational projects connecting the peoples of our countries. Recall that after a large time span (more than forty years), the Miklouho-Maclay Foundation organized a research expedition on the footsteps of the great Russian. The meeting of the descendant and full namesake from Russia and descendants of those who lived in the villages where the great traveler once lived, was a significant turning point in the development of cultural relations and events that were held both in Russia and Papua New Guinea.

The final and the most important Memorandum became a signing tripartite agreement between the National Library of Russia and the National Library and Archive of Papua New Guinea with the assistance of the Miklouho-Maclay Foundation. The agreement was signed by Kakaito Kasi, the General Director of the National Library of Papua New Guinea, on the one hand, and Nickolay Miklouho-Maclay, on the other, and assumes long-term cooperation between the parties. One of the areas was the establishment of the “Russian Corner”, initiated by the PNG National Library, which will serve as a base for educational purposes and educating Papua New Guineans about Russian culture, art, and traditions.

Photos from the events

At the end, Kakaito Kasi was presented with a picture painted by Mikhail Kozhemyakin, Advisor to the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, which together with the official letter would be given to Emil Tammur, Minister of Culture, Art and Tourism of Papua New Guinea. At the end of the official ceremony the participants were given the books «Journey to the Maclay Coast» as a gift, took some memorable photos as well as gave interviews for Russia and Papua New Guinea press. One of the surprises was the initiative of the University of Papua New Guinea to open the “Russian Corner” in the wake of the National Library, where a bust of Nikolay Miklouho-Maclay Sr was handed over.

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