For the umpteenth time, Asmat cultural performance has been organized in October 6-14^th, 2009. The theme of the 26^th anniversary in the Asmat cultural performance was “World Heritage: A Challenge to Preserve and to Develop Asmat’s Noble Cultural Values.” The opening ceremony was held in October 9^th, 2009, and followed by the parade of the participants and the guests around Agats City and the closing ceremony was held in October 14^th, 2009. All of the cultural events were organized in Yos Sudarso square and traditional music was played, songs were sung and poetries were read in the evening of each day during the events

Asmat is well-known through its culture, including its artistic carvings and its tribal dances. A cultural performance is organized annually in order to preserve the culture of the tribesmen that is facing modern culture.

Historically, the silver anniversary was first held when Mgr. Alfonsius A. Sowada, OSC, the first bishop in Agats diocese tried to materialize the idea of preserving Asmat’s artistic carving art as one of the elements of national culture through artistic carving competition in 1981.

It was the artistic carving competition that introduced Asmat to the world through the artistic carvings of the tribesmen (wow pits hands) in addition to its tribal dances that are inseparable parts of the existing well-institutionalized religious rituals of the tribe. Dances and artistic carvings are two-in-one cultural entities. It is also the case of Asmat tribesmen and their artistic carvings.  Wood artistic carvings and the belief in spirits are the primary elements of the cultural identity of Asmat tribesmen. Asmat tribesmen believe that the world consists of three worlds, which are the present world of Asmat tribesmen, the transitory world of the spirits of those who have died and have not been in eternal life (i.e., Safar world or heaven).

According to resource people, Asmat tribesmen believe in the spirits residing in other world (dampu) and they are able of inflicting diseases, sufferings, earthquake, and even war. Those who are still living in this present world are obligated to redeem the spirits by organizing ceremonies in which artistic carvings and especially primitive sculptures are named and used to be the objects in which the spirits may reside and hence they may live an eternal life in Safar or heaven, which is the ultimate purpose of their life.

Also, Asmat tribesmen believe that they live eternally in their tribal community till the day in which they got contact with the world outside them. The contact took place in 17^th century when the colonization began and it was followed by expeditions and the contact with the world outside them has been taking place since then. The contact with the external world continued till 1933. Subsequently, the Catholic priests Zewaard and Willing established the first Catholic church in February 1^st, 1954 and it has been introducing changes to the life of Asmat tribesmen up to the present.