Colourfully dressed tribesmen and women from all over Papua New Guinea converged on the capital, Port Moresby, yesterday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of independence from Australia.
Decorated with headdresses made from bird-of-paradise feathers, shell necklaces and face paint, the tribes came from remote mountain villages, coastal settlements and palm-fringed islands.
Papua New Guinea is an uneasy coalition of more than 800 ethnic groups.
Festivities began at dawn, with PNG's distinctive bird-of-paradise flag raised outside parliament in Port Moresby. Among the international guests was Australia's governor-general, Sir Michael Jeffrey, who was made an honorary chief for fostering ties between PNG and its former colonial ruler.
'Thirty years ago, who would have thought that ethnically diverse people who inhabit the mountains, the plains, the rivers and 600 islands would be flying one flag with great pride as one people?' said the prime minister, Sir Michael Somare.
Since independence, PNG has received more than A$10 billion ($59 billion) in aid from Australia. Development has been hindered by corruption, economic mismanagement and a breakdown in law and order.
