Posts filed under ‘festival’
Luo Cultural Night: Ramogi Night, May 31 2013 @ Carnivore Restaurant
Date: Friday 31st May 2013
Venue: Carnivore Restaurant
Tickets: Kshs. 500/-
Artists: Lady Maureen, Osogo Winyo, Onyango Alemo, Victoria Chomeka and Madanje Perimeter.
Uganda Cultural Night: Uganda Night, May 24 2013 @ Carnivore Restaurant
Date: May 24, 2013
Venue: Carnivore Restaurant
Tickets: Advance – Kshs. 1,200/-; Gate – 1,500/-; VIP – 2,000/-.
Artists: Dr. Hilder Man, Fattie Kris & Rema, Paddy Bitama, Mr. Mosh and DJ Dan Yo.
Delicacies: Lowombo, Matooke, Gnuts.
Beverage: Uganda Waragi & Bell Lager
Blankets & Wine XLIV, Jun. 2 2013 @ Carnivore
Pack your picnic baskets, wine, blankets and join the 44th edition of Blankets & Wine. On stage at this edition of East Africa’s premier music festival will be the ambient Prisca Ajwang, the jaunty Dela, the undiluted Alsarah from Sudan and the phenomenal 2013 double South African Music Awards winner, Zahara from South Africa.
Date: June 2, 2013
Venue: Carnivore Grounds
Time: from 1 – 9pm
Tickets: Gate Kshs 2000, Advance Kshs 1500
Children between 5 to 12 years pay 500 Ksh. and free for children under 5
Fresh out of Sauti Academy’s magnificent music factory, Prisca makes her big stage debut as part of Blankets & Wine’s promise to deliver fresh talent every month.
Our 2nd act, US based Sudanese singer Alsarah promises a unique treat with her ethno-urban flavour.
On her second Blankets & Wine appearance since her 2010 debut, Dela returns with new material from her soon to be completed new album.
2013 double South Africa Music Award (SAMA) winner Zahara winds up our amazing lineup bringing on board her acclaimed sound and a slew of chart topping singles and platinum selling albums. Zahara’s highly anticipated performance will be a sure delight for young and old music lovers alike.
This edition will host the first ever Blankets & Wine Craft Fair with over a dozen Kenyan artists and designers showcasing and selling their locally made crafts at the event.
Blankets & Wine will also be commemorating the June 5th world Environment Day under the theme ‘Think.Eat.Save’ as part of Blankets & Wine’s ongoing ‘Up-Cycling’ project geared towards Reducing, Recycling and Reusing waste and environmental pollution.
Out of Town: Lake Turkana Festival 2013, May 24-26 2013 @ Loiyangalani
For more info visit http://www.laketurkanafestival.com/
22nd European Film Festival, May 10-26 2013 @ Alliance Francaise
Dates: May 10-26, 2013
Venue: Alliance Francaise Auditorium
Time:
Weekdays 5.30 & 7.30 pm
Weekends 3, 5.30 & 7.30 pm
Tickets: Kshs 50
Programme
Jazz Festival: Mjini Jazz Festival, May 3 2013 @ Alliance
Mjini jazz festival invites you for a jazz concert on the 3rd of May at the Alliance Francaise from 6-11 pm
Tickets: Kshs 500
Tel: +254 733503588
Artists performing will be patrick Nakaya, Ricy na marafiki, Mitchel Ongaro, Kato, Sage & Threat Band. Come experience some of Kenyas fine Jazz musicians.
Website: http://www.mjinijazzfestival.com
Family Fun Day Concert: Music & Wellness Festival, May 1 2013 @ Carnivore Restaurant
Date: Wednesday 1st May 2013
Time: 10.00 am onwards
Venue: Carnivore Gardens
Charges: ADULTS – 500/- & KIDS – 200/-
ARTISTS PERFORMING
Eric Wainaina, Octopizzo, Size 8, Barbara Guantai, Nonini, Sage, Dj’s Pinye & Adrian, Ameleena, Combo, Diana Nduba
KIDS ACTIVITIES
Trampolines, Bouncing Castle,Mascots, Face Painters, Playstation, WII Games and Arcade Games.
Ten Cities Concert & Warehouse Party, Apr. 27 2013 @ Marshalls Service Workshop, Loita Street CBD
Goethe-Institut Nairobi will transform Marshalls Service Workshop into a concert and party location for just one single night – don’t miss that unique event!
In Concert: Just A Band & Camp Mulla (Nairobi, Kenya), Batida & Octa Push (Lisbon, Portugal), Oren Gerlitz (Berlin, Germany) and many more…
Warm-Up and Aftershow-DJs from Johannesburg (South Africa) and Naples (Italy) – Visuals – BBoys – Great Drinks – Good People
TEN CITIES teams up about 50 DJs, producers and musicians from Berlin, Bristol, Johannesburg, Cairo, Kiev, Lagos, Lisbon, Luanda, Nairobi and Naples, enabling them to produce music together and exchange their knowledge about the club scenes in their home countries.
The project started off in Luanda in November 2012. After production phases in Lagos and Johannesburg in 2013, Nairobi is the fourth stage. Renowned electronic music producers Octa Push and Batida, both from Lisbon/Portugal, as well as Berlin based musician, producer and Jahcoozi member Oren Gerlitz are coming to Nairobi. They will record new tracks with Just A Band, Camp Mulla and many more.
The highlight of the project phase in Nairobi is a grand show with all participating artists. In matters of the venue we’ve got inspired by a common practice of early underground electronic music scenes which set up parties in abandoned warehouses. Based on that we will transform a garage into a concert venue, adding this exceptional warehouse character. This is going to be an extraordinary experience so make sure you do not miss it!
Tickets: 300/= KSh
Party: Kikoy Culture, Apr. 27 2013 @ Carnivore
Attention! Attention! 6AM Kenya has officially managed to secure one of the most sought after names in Dance Music today. MAT ZO will be coming to Kenya this month! He will be featuring exclusively at KIKOY CULTURE 2013. The Heavy-weight is keen to hit the Kenyan shores for the very first time ever with his infectious Big-Room style tracks. The Anjuna Beats man will arrive with fresh and unreleased new songs that are bound to keep you dancing till 6:00 am!
The theme is one of our absolute favourites; KIKOY CULTURE ! It is the only party that pays homage to a 100% Kenyan cultural icon; The Kikoy. This obviously means that the whole dancefloor will be a sea of colourful fabrics. The dress code also suggests that you too should join in the fun and come out in your own Kikoy! The more unique and colourful, the better! You will stand a chance to win an assortment of ultra-cool prizes from 6AM Kenya.
With such a respected artist gracing our humble city, we felt it was vital to pick a venue that has the experience of hosting international acts, to international standards. The CARNIVORE SIMBA SALOON does just that! Excellent service, top-notch security, and tons of fully stocked bars make it the perfect spot to host Mr. Zo. The 6AM Décor team will have the place transformed into a magical masterpiece in no time, and together with the earth shaking sound system, it will definately be a feast for your senses.
With the headliner booked and confirmed, 6AM Kenya will have their top DJs supporting MAT ZO on the night. The full line up will be released closer to the date, so keep those eyes peeled for more information.
21+. Original National ID/Driving License or Passport on request.
LINE UP: MAT ZO (Anjunabeats), DRAZEN, DJ K, TOM PARKER, FACTORY DJS
TIME: 9pm / 6am
Tickets INFO: Advance Tickets Kshs 1500/- Gate tickets (on the night) Kshs 2000/-
Dress Code: Kikoy
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Festival: Tandawazi Easter Edition, Mar. 28-31 2013 @ Safari Beach Hotel Diani
Join TANDAWAZI in Diani for the Easter edition of Kenya’s most unique festival of contemporary culture on the stunning Diani Beach.
Capoeira workshops all day from Thursday – Sunday, Salsa friday – Sunday and Muay Thai boot camp from Friday – Sunday.
The event will come to a close with the Sundowner Sessions – great cocktails & lounge music in a stunning natural backdrop. 4 – 7pm powered by AQUEOUS.
Celebrate the end of your work at TANDAWAZI with a wonderful group of people and a great vibe.
Festival Culture Elles, Mar. 11-16 2013 @ Alliance
Alliance Française de Nairobi marks the 2013 International Women’s Day with an exhibition, a series of film-discussions and select performances by talented young Kenyan women artists.
This annual ‘Festival CulturElles’ aims to promote the role of women in artistic creation and advocacy
This year we will partner with AKILI DADA and the ‘Women & Girls Lead Global’ alliance for a week of inspiring films and discussions.
Dates: March 11-16, 2013
Venue: Alliance
Tuko Rada I Choose Peace Festival, Feb. 16 2013 @ KICC Courtyard Grounds
National Youth Bunge Association (NYBA) the Kenyan leading youth network of County forums which represents the Village Youth Bunges at the National level will hold the biggest peace festival of the election year dubbed “Tuko Rada”.
Leading Kenyan artists, celebrity athletes, footballers, youth leaders, media personalities, Business leaders, peace stakeholders, NYBA County youth forum members and over ten thousand peace loving Kenyan youth from all over the country will converge at the KICC Courtyard to pledge peace in Kenya and be the ambassadors of peace in the coming months as we head towards the election.
Date: February 16, 2013
Venue: KICC Courtyard
Time: 10 am to 6 pm
For more info visit their event page
Images de Nairobi: A week of French Cinema in Nairobi, Feb. 11-16 2013 @ Alliance & Cinemart
Recent and critically acclaimed films at the 10th edition of the ‘Images de France’ Film Festival in Nairobi with daily shows at Alliance Française de Nairobi and the newly opened Cinemart cinema in Kawangware (off Naivasha Road, net to Deliverance Church).
Time: Alliance 7 pm daily & Cinemart 4 pm
Entry: Free
Programme
Mon. 11 Feb, 7pm (Alliance Française) & Wed. 13 Feb, 4pm (Cinemart, Kawangware)
THE ARTIST by Michel Hazanavicius, 2011, 1h40, drama, in French with English subtitles – General Exhibition
The story follows the relationship of Georges Valentin (Jean Dujardin), an older silent movie star, and Peppy Miller (Bérénice Béjo), a rising young actress, as silent cinema falls out of fashion and talking films take over.
Tue. 12 Feb, 7pm (Alliance Française) & Thu. 14 Feb, 4pm (Cinemart, Kawangware)
COMME UN CHEF by Daniel Cohen, 2012, 1h24, comedy, in French with English subtitles – General Exhibition
Jacky Bonnot is a talented amateur chef who dreams of owning his own restaurant. Unfortunately his present financial situation makes it highly unlikely that he will ever fulfil his dream. He manages to scrape a living by doing odd jobs which he can just about hold onto, until the day his path crosses that of Alexandre Lagarde, a renowned chef…
Wed. 13 Feb, 7pm (Alliance Française) & Fri. 15 Feb, 4pm (Cinemart, Kawangware)
POLISSE by Maïwenn, 2011, 2h07, drama, in French with English subtitles – 16yrs and above
A gripping police drama based on true accounts from the Parisian Child Protection Unit. The daily grind for the officers of the Child Protection Unit includes taking in offenders, making arrests, interrogations, taking statements but also the sense of solidarity between colleagues during lunch breaks. It is knowing the worst exists and trying to live with it. How do these police officers balance their private lives and the reality they are confronted with every working day?
Thu. 14 Feb, 7pm (Alliance Française) & Tue. 12 Feb, 4pm (Cinemart, Kawangware)
LOUP (The Wolf) by Nicolas Vanier, 2009, 1h42, drama, in French with English subtitles – General Exhibition
Sergei is an Eveny, the nomadic reindeer herders living in the wild mountains of Eastern Siberia. At the age of 16, Sergei is put in charge of his clan’s largest herd. In the Siberian vastness, the wolves remain a perennial threat to the reindeer. Sergei has learnt to hunt the wolves without any qualms, until the day that he encounters a female with a litter of four cubs…
Fri. 15 Feb, 7pm (Alliance Française) & Mon. 11 Feb, 4pm (Cinemart, Kawangware)
UN BONHEUR N’ARRIVE JAMAIS SEUL (Happiness never comes alone) by James Huth, 2012, 1h50, comedy, in French with English subtitles – 16yrs and above
Sacha loves his friends, his piano and partying. At night, he plays in a jazz club and seduces pretty girls. He lives for the moment, looking for pleasure. Charlotte has three kids, two ex-husbands and a thriving professional life. She has no room for a love story. They have nothing in common and shouldn’t be together… but they are made for one another
Sat. 16 Feb, 10am (Alliance Française) & Sat. 16 Feb, 10am (Cinemart, Kawangware)
UNE VIE DE CHAT (A Cat in Paris) by Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli, 2010, 1h10 min, animation, in English – 6yrs and above
Dino is a cat who shares his life between two houses. During the day, he lives with Zoé, the only daughter of Jeanne, a police captain. During the night, he clambers over the roofs of Paris in the company of Nico, a very skillful thief.
Out of Town: 1st Edition of EAC Arts & Culture Festival – Jamafest, Feb. 11-17 2013 @ Kigali – Rwanda
EAC Arts & Cultural Festival – Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki Utamaduni Festival [JAMAFEST]
Dates: February 11-17, 2013
Venue: Kigali, Rwanda
Theme: Fostering the East African Community Integration through Cultural Industries
For more information: http://jamafest.org/
Documentary & Festival Opening: Disputed Fields & Performance by Eric Wainaina + Best Band In Africa, Jan 28 2013 @ Alliance
Disputed Fields is one of a series of four films produced by InformAction which all focus on messages that have resonance across Kenya. It will open the ‘Kesho Ime Fika’ Festival.
This documentary is a ‘bottom up’ look at issues of land and tensions between the Kalennjin and Kikuyu communities in the region. It takes a sensitive approach, hearing the views of both communities as we had into the elections.
After the screening there will be a Live Performance by Eric Wainaina & the best band in Africa
Find full programme here
Kenya Kite Festival II: Kites for Peace, Feb. 10 2013 @ Jockey Club Kenya
Date: February 10, 2013
Venue: Jockey Club Kenya [Ngong Race Course]
Time: 11 am – 6 pm
Tickets: Kshs 700 at the Gate and kshs 500 advance
Festival on Elections and Leadership, Jan. 28 – Feb. 1 2013 @ Alliance
KESHO IME FIKA
A Citizen’s Festival on elections and leadership presented by Alliance Française in partnership with INFORM Action, The XYZ Show, Picha Mtaani & Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda
Dates: January 28 to February 1, 2013
Time: Daily at 7pm
Entrance: Free
This multidisciplinary festival will tackle issues of unity and diversity, corruption and impunity, land issues and reform, governance and leadership with critical eyes and voices, through the mediums of editorial cartoons, XYZ puppets, ‘Kenya Burning’ photographs, music and performing arts, documentaries and public service announcements.
Cartoons by leading Kenyan cartoonists and ‘Kenya Burning’ photographs by Boniface Mwangi will graphically illustrate the path that must be avoided.
A series of short documentaries by ‘INFORM Action’ that specializes in film and community discussions, led by Maina Kiai, former Chairman of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission and UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Assembly and of Association, will engage Kenyans on the persistent need to demand political and social accountability.
Skits and voice talents from the XYZ show together with musicians and comedians including Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda, Winyo and Larry Asego will use their artistic expressions to emphasize the essence of the festival.
Out of Town: Burns Night, Jan. 25 2013 @ Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant – Mombasa
25th of January brings us the incredible occasion to host a unique event at Flamboyant! It is the Day of Robert Burns and we will have the night dedicated to the great Scottish poet.
We will stick firmly to the Scottish tradition when on Rabbie Burns day people in Scotland cite the touching poems of the Ploughman Poet, play the bagpipes, drink some good whiskey and share the Haggis.
The event will be marked with the special participation of a talented Bagpiper.
Those of you, who are Scottish, feel Scottish or just like to share a night of poetry, good whiskey and great food, are more than welcome to join the bash!
It is Ksh 3000/= per person including a 4 course Traditional Scottish Dinner & Wine.
Any volunteer of you who would like to cite a favourite Robert Burns poem will be highly encouraged to do so!
We have come up with a great Flying package for the occasion that Nairobi friends can join us for the occasion.
For reservation/queries: +254 733 411 110 or info@alibarbours.com
Out of Town: 10th Sauti za Busara Festival, Feb. 14-17 2013 @ Old Fort in Zanzibar
Dates: February 14-17, 2013
Venue: Old Fort in Zanzibar
Festival Tickets*: EA Residents US $29, International Visitors US $109
Programme: Festival Timetable
*Festival admission prices vary with citizeship. Find full info here
The Festival
The festival will celebrate a lifetime achievement of bringing together artists and audiences from around Africa and beyond with enriching cultural experiences, promoting cultural diversity and social development for the past 10 years.
Sauti za Busara is an annual music event in East Africa and widely known as ‘the friendliest festival on the planet’. This edition will feature 200 musicians: more than twenty five groups from East Africa and beyond; acoustic and electric, upcoming and established – all performing live.
The Old Fort will host three nights of non-stop live music, with the main programme continuing Friday through Sunday with performances from 5pm until 1am.
The festival also features African Music Films: documentaries, music videos and live concert footage, all focused on promoting the richness and diversity of African music as screened in the amphitheatre of the Old Fort.
Headline Artist Cheikh Lo – Senegal
Headline artist for the 10th edition of Sauti za Busara is internationally acclaimed Baye Fall artist Cheikh Lo from Senegal. A superb singer and songwriter as well as a distinctive guitarist, percussionist and drummer he has personalized and distilled a variety of influences from West and Central Africa, to create a style that is uniquely his own.
To celebrate ten years of Sauti za Busara, the festival showcases “Best of the Best”; audience favourites of past years including Tanzania’s DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra.
Zanzibar’s Culture Musical Club will also showcase at the 10th edition and they remain the most prolific and successful taarab orchestra from East Africa.
Other main acts include Khaira Arby (Mali), Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka (Zimbabwe), Atongo Zimba (Ghana), N’Faly Kouyaté (Guinea), Nathalie Natiembe (Reunion), Nawal & Les Femmes de la Lune (Comoros/Mayotte), Wazimbo (Mozambique), The Moreira Project (Mozambique/South Africa), Owiny Sigoma Band (Kenya/UK), Mokoomba (Zimbabwe), Msafiri Zawose & Sauti Band (Tanzania), Mani Martin (Rwanda), Burkina Electric (Burkina Faso/USA), Lumumba Theatre Group (Tanzania), Sousou & Maher Cissoko (Senegal/Sweden), Super Maya Baikoko (Tanzania), Peter Msechu (Tanzania) and many more.
Networking Space
Sauti za Busara will continue to host the Movers & Shakers networking forum for local and visiting arts professionals. This networking space facilitates discussions, exchange and development of ideas on the creative industries in the East African region and beyond.
Fringe Events
It’s not just the festival that puts on a show; the local community is encouraged to take part by hosting Busara Xtra fringe events. These include traditional ngoma drum and dance, fashion shows, dhow races, open-mic sessions, after-parties and performances of Zanzibar’s oldest taarab orchestras as arranged by the local community.
For More Information: www.busaramusic.org
GaluLonga 2013 – Tango Festival in Galu, Jan. 23-27 2013 @ Diani Beach
GaluLonga 2013 — Argentine Tango Festival in Galu, Diani Beach! 4 evenings of daily workshops (including classes offered specially for total tango beginners) and social dancing at Galu Beach Retreat, with passionate international Tango teachers Alex y Natalia (Ukraine), the resident Patamango Association teachers Mario Marion, and with the enthusiastic and growing Argentine Tango community in Nairobi and other places in East and Central Africa.
There will be two daily Tango Workshops, one starting at 4:00 and one at 5:15 every day, from Wednesday 23 January to Saturday 26 January, and followed by a Dinner Milonga (tango dance party) each evening, to great traditional tango music, on a superb dance platform caressed by the ocean breeze, just metres from the beach!
A truly unique opportunity to get a taste of the sublime traditional art that is Argentine Tango, inscribed in 2009 by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”!
Limited space! Please contact us to reserve your spot:
Patamango Association: nairobi.tango@patamango.com, 0715 357 507
Galu Beach Retreat: marketing@destination-adventures.com, 0733 435 341
GaluLonga 2013 is being organized “con mucho gusto” by The Patamango Association, a non-profit association of passionate volunteers with the mission of developing Argentine Tango culture in Kenya, in collaboration with Galu Beach Retreat.
[Update] Kwani? LitFest 2012: Stories of the Horn of Africa, Dec. 9-16 2012 @ Various Venues
Festival Dates: December 9 -16, 2012
Events Line Up: Public Lectures, Writers in conversation, Readings, Performances, Art Exhibitions, Film Screenings
Venues: various venues – Kifaru Gardens, Kwani? Garden, National Museum, University of Nairobi, Goethe Institut, Kuona Trust, Habesha, Kibera, KICC Helipad, Eastleigh, South B [map below]
Update: All the events scheduled to take place at University of Nairobi have been moved to the National Museum
Entry to most of the events is Free
Download litfest_programme
Focus: Stories of the Horn of Africa with participating Countries – Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan & Kenya
Some of the writers confirmed for the festival are: Hadraawi – Somalia, Warsan Shire – Somalia, Sayadin Hersi – Somalia, Awes Osman – Somalia, Said Juma Hussein – Somalia, Chehem Watta – Djibouti, Meaza Worku – Ethiopia, Jamal Mahjoub – Sudan, Alemseged Tesfai – Eritrea, Nawal El Saadawi – Egypt, Kojo Laing – Ghana, Helon Habila – Nigeria, Deqa Abshir – Somalia/Kenya, Fawaz El Said – Sudan, Yassir Ali – Sudan, Altayeb Daw Elbeit – Sudan, Ermais Ekube – Ethiopia
A Snap Shot of the Programme
Date: December 9, 2012
Venue: Kifaru Gardens
Time: 2-10 pm
Music by: Waayaha Cusub and Kato& Band
DJ Set by: DJ Zelalem
Entry: Free
Date: December 10, 2012
Venue: Goethe-Institut Nairobi, Monrovia Street
Time: 2.30 – 8 pm
Entry: Free
Date: December 11, 2012
Venue: University of Nairobi National Museum
Time: 2– 7 pm
Entry: Free
Date: December 12, 2012
Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium, National Museum
Time: 2.30-8 pm
Entry: Free
Date: December 13, 2012
Venues: Hotel Intercontinental, Taifa Hall (University of Nairobi) & Louis Leakey Auditorium, National Museum
Time: 2.30– 7.30 pm
Entry: Free
Date: December 14, 2012
Venues: Louis Leakey Auditorium (National Museum) & Kuona Trust
Free Entry
Date: December 15, 2012
Venues: Louis Leakey Auditorium (National Museum) & KICC Helipad
Entry: Free (National Museum)
Entry: Ksh 1,000 (KICC Helipad)
About
The Kwani? Literary Festival is organised by Kwani Trust on a biennial basis where the literary leaders of Kenya, enriched with visiting writers from around the world, turn their attention to one salient subject and explore it through the lenses of the continent’s past, present and emerging literatures. In 2012, the Litfest will focus on several geopolitical trends and shifts in Kenya’s immediate north to host literary conversations with the Horn of Africa.
It thus aims to act as a platform where the story of the Horn of Africa can be told, to an extent, not taking the political crisis narrative as the only story that exists.
Additionally, the pan-African exchange programme of Goethe-Institut Moving Africa will bring a further eight African writers to Nairobi.
For the exact programme please visit the 2012 Kwani? Litfest website: http://litfest.kwani.org
More information on Moving Africa: http://www.blog.goethe.de/moving-africa/
Blue Band Kids Festival – The Concert, Dec. 15 2012 @ Nyayo National Stadium
Venue: Nyayo National Stadium
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Contacts: 0726 109 109
Artists Line- up: MR funny A.K.A Ayeiyaaa Poa Poa, comedian Vinnie Chipukeezy, Award winning Gospel maestro Daddy Owen, Gloria Muliro, MC Jessy, Machachari crew, Zangalewa Comedians troupe, Nameless, Eric Omondi and Yunasi band Kenya
For more information visit: Facebook Page
Kilimani Festival: The Art of Community – From Complaint to Choice, Dec. 14-15 2012 @ Various Venues
The Art of Community: from Complaint to Choice
The kilimani project joins screen on the green
Date: 14, December 2012
Venue: Kilimani Primary School, Argwings Kodek road, 6pm-9:30pm
Screening: “An Africa Election” and “Nairobi Half-Life” FOR FREE!
The kilimani festival
Date: 15, December 2012
Venue: Kilimani Primary School, Argwings Kodek road, 10am – 6pm
PERFORMANCES BY: DJ Adrian, Eric Wainaina, Suzanna Owiyo, and Atemi Oyungu and many more….. Entry: Kshs 100 & kids Kshs 50
For more info. visit: http://www.kilimani.co.ke/
Kwani? Litfest, Dec. 9-16 2012 @ National Museum
Kwani? Litfest full program
2012 Kwani? Litfest: Conversations with Writers and Artists from The Horn
The fourth edition of our biennial gathering of writers, poets, literary academics and theorists from the continent kicks off between 9th – 16th December, 2012. Titled Conversations With The Horn: Writers, Artists In Exchange, this year’s festival will host Somali poet Hadraawi, Sudanese-English novelist Jamal Mahjoub & Eritrean writer and historian Alemsegad Tefsayi to share their work with writers from other parts of the continent. These include Egyptian writer and activist Nawal El Sadaawi & Nigerian and Ghanaian novelists, Helon Habila and Kojo Laing. They will also be joined by writers from Mozambique, Namibia, and Cameroon.
Following different themes over the years at the Kwani? Litfest, this is the first time that we have invited a combination of different writers from the Horn to be part of a celebration of literature and its role in our lives. Recent developments in the region have created points of convergence that warrant intra-continental literary, artistic and intellectual conversations. To begin with, new writing has emerged in places where little writing at least in Anglophone Africa had been seen in the mainstream and hence Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa are not the only players in a global republic of letters. Some of the most recent exciting contemporary African Literature has come from the so-called countries of the Horn by writers such as Meaza Mengiste, Dinaw Mengestu, Nadifa Mohamed, Abraham Verghese, Abdulrahman Waberi & Sulaiman Addonia. These follow in the rich literary traditions set by Nuruddin Farah, Tayeb Salih and many others.
With Southern Sudan as Africa’s latest nation, the emergence of Ethiopia as a new African economic force, the gradual stabilization of Somalia and the emergence of its resulting Diasporas, new expressions and narratives can challenge the ubiquitous narrative of political crisis. Such narratives, usually driven by outsiders, have been given prominence that mask numerous other layered realities otherwise taking place in the same areas. Writers and cultural commentators from these regions are increasingly becoming prominent in producing new narratives and ideas about their homelands. We hope that this edition of the Litfest provides a platform for the sharing of ideas through lectures, panel discussions and readings. That it can be a site of debate and discussion by writers, academics and literary enthusiasts on how literature, art and culture is related to the layered realities in the countries of the Horn now and in a glorious past.
The very fact that thousands of Sudanese, Ethiopians, Eritreans, and citizens of Somalia through migration and spill-over from conflict in these regions have seeped into Kenya’s national and especially urban psyches tells us that societal relationships have emerged that are complex and fluid. That, in truth, Kenya is as much part of the East African Community as what is known as The Horn of Africa. We recognize the differences, commonalities, and imaginaries between our societies and those of the Horn. We feel that these need to be discussed through the lens of art, literature and culture, and welcome you to the 2012 edition of the Kwani? Litfest.
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