Matilda Atieno
The County Directorate of Culture in partnership with the state Department of Culture is currently holding a two-day Capacity Building for practitioners in cultural expression at the Kisumu hotel.
The workshop brought together over 80 participants from Kisumu County with the aim of enhancing the capacity to create, produce, disseminate and distribute competitive cultural products and services.
The training was graced by the representative of the State Department for Culture and Heritage Mr.Herman Shambi, flanked by the CEC Member For Sports Culture Gender and Youth Affairs Ms. Beatrice Odongo together with Mr. Kiprop Lagat of the directorate of culture in the state department.
In a speech read on behalf of the PS State Department for Culture and Heritage by Mr. Shambi, the PS. Ms. Ummi Bashir Mohammed, lauded the partnership between the County Government of Kisumu and the State Department for Culture and Heritage for organizing the workshop stating that the state department is keen to provide leadership in the development of cultural services throughout the country.
Highlighting the role of the state department and interventions in place to support the cultural practitioners in Kenya, the PS reiterated the commitment of Government to support the entire spectrum of culture and cultural development by providing a conducive environment as well as support cultures to flourish and be appreciated for the true value contribution to national development.
“To implement the Government’s vision, the department is carrying out cultural development programmes that targets the practitioners at the bottom of the pyramid in addition to pursuing partnerships that avail more opportunities for the cultural workers to showcase and market their products.” Ms. Ummi said.
The PS also urged the participants to take advantage of opportunities afforded by the developments in the sector and be willing to commit to learning.
In her remarks the CEC Member for Culture Ms. Odongo urged the state department to also support the practitioners by providing training and capacity building at the grass roots across the 7 Sub-Counties of Kisumu.
Ms. Odongo commended the working relationship with the State Department to provide the necessary support for the creatives to thrive and was pleased to note that Kisumu has distinguished herself the creative capital of Kenya.
“Many Youth from this County derive their livelihood from the Arts and it is therefore critical that they are equipped with the right skills to enable them compete fairly.” Said Ms. Odongo.
The Workshop adopts highly interactive approaches, encouraging discussions among participants, creating opportunities for interactions between cultural professionals from both governmental and private sectors with local stakeholders.
County Communication Unit