JAYAPURA – Acting Regional Secretary of Papua Province Suzana D. Wanggai expressed her high appreciation for the High School/Vocational School Acoustic Music Competition held at the Cenderawasih Sports Hall in Jayapura on Friday (October 24, 2025).

The event, organized to commemorate Youth Pledge Day, was recognized as a strategic initiative to preserve local culture and mother tongues among the younger generation.

Suzana emphasized that such activities play a vital role in shaping youth character and creativity.

“We truly appreciate this event because it provides an excellent opportunity for our young people to express their creativity and build motivation. They, in turn, will inspire their peers,” she said.

She also highlighted the teamwork and collaboration fostered through acoustic music.

“Acoustic music is excellent for developing teamwork. It requires harmony — good vocals, synchronized instruments — and that teaches participants how to work together as a team,” Suzana explained.

She further expressed hope that the Acting Head of the Provincial Youth and Sports Office would continue and expand such positive initiatives regularly.

Meanwhile, Acting Head of the Papua Provincial Youth and Sports Office Sonya Monim said that the competition featured 15 teams from Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, and Keerom Regency.

She noted that the choice of acoustic music reflected its popularity in Papua and its ability to develop young people’s musical talents.

“We started with high school students because this is the ideal age to nurture their musical potential. Through acoustic music, their natural talents can be developed further,” Sonya explained.

Each team was required to perform the national song ‘Bangun Pemuda Pemudi’ (Rise, Youth of the Nation) and one regional song of their choice.

Sonya stressed that the primary goal of the competition was to promote cultural preservation.

“Through this regional song competition, we hope our youth will learn about their own culture and language, because the mother tongue is very important. It’s fine for young people to use modern slang, but we must ensure that our culture and language are not lost. That’s why we organized this event — to preserve our mother tongue, local culture, and music in Papua,” she concluded.

The Acoustic Music Competition serves as one of the Papua Provincial Government’s tangible efforts to strengthen cultural and linguistic identity among young people, in line with the spirit of unity commemorated on Youth Pledge Day. ***