KISAR DANCES TO ENLIVEN SAIL BANDA'S LAUNCHING

Ambon, Maluku, Feb 17 (ANTARA) - Traditional dances of Kisar, Maluku Barat Daya (MBD) district, Maluku province, will enliven the launching of Sail Banda in mid-2010, a local government official said.

"Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu has given the directive that special Kisar dances should be performed at the Sail Banda launching to show the international community that our province has great cultural assets to support the tourism sector," assistant for governance affairs to the Maluku governor, Pieter Norimarna, said here on Wednesday.

Kisar which was once controlled by Portuguese has a unique cultural mix and has been rearranged in order to be promoted to attract tourists to the area.

In general, Kisar society's culture is similar to those of Timor Leste who are still in the same family and close geographically, Norimarna said.

According to Norimarna, he had made coordination with the Maluku Barat Daya acting regent, Frangky Renjaan to prepare a dance to be performed at the launch of the Sail Banda.

The international marine event Sail Banda which will take place in Ambon city, Maluku`s provincial capital in July to August 2010 is expected to attract thousands of foreign tourists.