By Matilda Atieno
Kisumu County participated in the 96th edition of the annual Kenya Music and Cultural Festival at Wote Technical Training Institute in Makueni County.
The festival was organized by the Ministry of Gender, Culture, the Arts, and Heritage in collaboration with the Makueni County Government with the theme “Our Culture: Towards National Cohesion, Integration, and Peace. The event highlighted Kenyan musical heritage, as well as its current talent.
The 10 days’ festivals kicked off on the 1st of December through to the 9th. The objective of the festivals is to entrench culture in climate action by enhancing the participation of communities in the preservation of the environment.
The festival brought together various participants across the country with Kisumu led by the County Department of Tourism, Culture, Gender and Youth Affairs sponsoring 4 cultural groups and 2 visual artists to the festival.
Culture, Arts and music in particular, is at the heart of the Kenyan identity which has played a big role over centuries of our history and a vital role as well, in promoting the Kenyan culture and Kenya as a nation, to the world. According to the Kisumu County participants, there are countless opportunities for many people to showcase their heritage, history and culture of today and tomorrow, and to showcase new talents to the world.
The cultural music festivals identify and safeguard Kenya’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The participants at the event include cultural groups, county choirs and county assembly choirs from 47 counties, water companies, parastatals, national government agencies, and music clubs from TVET Institutes and Universities.
According to Makueni Director for Culture, Music, and the Arts, Mutua Mulonzya, The Kenya Music and cultural festivals is a prime example because in a country with such a rich culture, the performance states a lot about Kenya’s devotion to music and culture.
Kisumu County held its county festival on the 16th and 17th of November 2023
