People who were expecting news from Cowra on internet last weekend because Tonga was the guest country in the NSW town’s 2016 Festival of International Understanding had a surprise.
A YouTube video was uploaded to Facebook showed the Tongan national anthem was sung by palagi school children.
The music was fine but for the little children to sing the national anthem beautifully in a language totally different from their mother toungue, was amazing.
After the MC of the day welcomed Princess Angelika Tukuʻaho, the guest of honour of the day she then invited the guests to stand for the kingdom’s national anthem.
To the surprise of most viewers, the palagi school children did an awesome performance in singing the national anthem with great confident.
“I get emotional when I sing the Tongan national anthem (mafana ki ai lol) this video is cool! Young Australian singing our anthem,” John Nicholas Pulu, a reporter on TVNZ’s Tagata Pasifika programme wrote on Facebook.
The event gave members of the New South Wales community the opportunity to taste Tongan food and enjoy Tongan entertainments and arts.
The message of the Festival of International Understanding is one of inclusion, friendship and understanding — which Tongan guests in Cowra could not be more excited and proud to be a part of.
The Festival of International Understanding runs from March 11–20.
