Vaiala choir invited to Nauru
An official invite is being awaited from the government of Nauru after the Vaiala Youth Choir was informally invited to sing at the nation's Independence Day next January.
During the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM), delegates from Nauru visited Vaiala which was their host village.
The delegate was mesmerised by the Vaiala Youth's performance at the opening ceremony where talks took place about the choir travelling to Nauru. Nothing official has come forward yet.
Iese Uele, the church minister of Vaiala said the invitation had been verbally announced by the Nauruan Foreign Affairs officials in front of the village.
"They expressed their gratitude to Nauru for recognising the hardships they had endured in attempting to prepare for CHOGM," he said.
" They expressed gratitude to our village's use of the Nauru flags to adorn the roadsides and even to paint the entire area in the flag's colours.
"As the pastor of Vaiala, I can attest to their sincere gratitude for our people's efforts to make the Commonwealth gathering flawless, despite the fact that it is now over and that this is the first time Samoa has hosted the CHOGM on our tiny island.
If the official invite comes through, Nauru will cover all of the costs for the Vaiala Youth Choir to sing at their Independence Day.
"In addition, the Government of Nauru gave AUD$20,000 to help with their preparations and to express gratitude to the village of Vaiala for hosting their nation during CHOGM," said the pastor.
"Since the invitation is still being processed and we are unsure if it will be sent, we are now still waiting."
Nauru's Independence Day falls on 31 January.