Flailing Phalluses

As I have alluded, I went to the PNG Coffee Festival Ball in Goroka on Saturday night. It was an all round great night.

Summing it up I would have to say it was a time to put on some cool threads. Kick up the heels. Loosen the shoulders. Have a few drinks. Meet new people. Meet old friends. Have a few chats. See some PNG culture. Have a few more drinks. Chat some more. Watch a fashion parade. Attempt some dancing. Argue about this blog. Slur your words. See some fights. And get driven back to your accommodation at three in the morning sitting on spare tyre in the back of a Land Rover. All good. Apart from the fight bits.

Focusing in more specifically, one of the highlights was the Manus Dancers and their famous flailing. It was the first time I had seen (or even heard about these guys) and it was certainly was an eye opener (and almost eye injurer).

The drums were being beaten in a very fast tribalistic African way. The girls were in the middle dancing from feet to feet in time to the rapid beats. The guys were on the outside rushing the crowd, thrusting their hips and whipping the attached long phalluses around.



Of course this caused no end of hilarity. The closer they got to the crowd (particularly women) the funnier it was. So close in fact that my poor old fellow volunteer from Lae who came with us on the trip got her brand new digital camera whacked out of her hands by one these thrusts. She didn't see it coming.

Luckily I did - or camera did - and if we zoom in and enhance on the above pic (not on that) we can see that she is in the background just before getting an expensive whacking.



Being the token geek in town the camera is currently at my place in bits, trying to be repaired.

The other amusing thing from the night was the Fashion Parade from the House of Odd Shop. It just so happens that The Odd Shop is a second hand clothes store! I have said second hand clothes are good, but I would never believe they would have a fashion parade of them. Now I have seen everything.

And finally, here is a challenge, repeat this saying three times fast - "A fiery festival featuring fifteen in finery flailing phalluses and forgotten threads fashion".