REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MANADO -- Hundreds of international figures and photographers will celebrate the festival of "Celebrate the Sea". The event will be held from March 31 to April 5, 2018, in Manado City, North Sulawesi Province.
"Several international figures, underwater photographers, and representatives from at least 100 countries will attend (the festival) in Manado," Dr Sylvia Earle noted in a statement here on Thursday.
"Celebrate the Sea" Festival is the most influential event in the Asia Pacific so far. Moreover, Earle plans to announce that the Bunaken Marine Park will become Mission Blue's Hope Spot.
"This festival has its own missions, such as shark protection as well as a ban on various products made from the species and campaigns to not use disposable plastic products in North Sulawesi," she explained.
Earle noted that by attending the festival, the participants actively become part of the solution, especially in contributing to safeguarding the maritime environment. This festival will celebrate the splendor and richness of the marine environmental diversity of Bunaken Marine Park, Bangka Island, and Lembeh Strait.
Earle believes that the important aspect is how people can safeguard the marine environment for which they need to realize the threats of climate change and pollution, especially in this hidden area of the coral triangle.
Moreover, a CTS International Underwater Photography competition will be held on April 1-3, 2018, on Bangka Island, Manado, and Lembeh Island, with a total prize of US$35 thousand.
The winner of the photography competition will receive a total prize of $5 thousand, while the winner in each category will receive a prize of $2 thousand.
During this festival, the participants will also watch a documentary titled "A Plastic Ocean (Sea Plastic)" by Craig Lesson as the writer, director, and producer. Furthermore, the musical of "Song for the Ocean" by Kristin Hoffman will be presented by Unima Choir.
A conservation-themed children's art competition involving at least 75 participants from Indonesia, the United States, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines will be held. "This competition brings the message to persuade people to not use disposable plastic products," she explained.
The marine conservation and underwater photography conferences featuring international speakers will be centered in the Atrium Megamall and Mercure Manado Tateli Beach Resort.
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