2nd National Sandroing Festival, 27-31 August 2006, Akhamb, MalakulaOne of the biggest cultural events to happen in 2006 was the 2nd National Sandroing (“sand drawing”) Festival which took place on the small island of Akhamb off the south of Malakula from the 27th until the 31st of August
The National Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Sand DrawingSand drawings are elegant geometric patterns produced directly on the ground which serve to transmit a wealth of traditional knowledge about local history, indigenous rituals and cosmologies, kinship systems, natural phenomena or farming techniques.
In 2003, 'Vanuatu Sand Drawing' was proclaimed a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. In 2004, UNESCO/Japan Funds-In-Trust For the Preservation and Promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage began funding of a program to safeguard sand drawings in Vanuatu
