President Ruto to Preside Over Maasai Cultural Festival in Samburu » Capital News
NAIROBI Kenya, Nov 8- President William Ruto will preside over the second edition of the Maasai Cultural Festival in Samburu County, an event dedicated to celebrating the traditions, customs, and lifestyle of the Maasai people.
The festival, which began on November 6 at Samburu National Park, features a wide array of cultural activities, including traditional dances, music, storytelling, crafts, and cuisine, providing attendees an immersive experience of Maasai culture. Organized by the County Governments of Narok, Kajiado, and Samburu through the Maa Economic Bloc and led by Governors Patrick Ntutu, Joseph Ole Lenku, and Jonathan Lati Lelelit, the event underscores a shared identity and unity across counties.
“The festival seeks to fulfill the aspirations of the National Policy on Culture and Heritage as informed by Article 11 of the Constitution, which recognizes culture as the foundation of the nation and as the cumulative civilization of Kenya’s people,” said Narok Governor Ntutu. “The Maa Cultural Week is more than a celebration—it’s an opportunity to preserve our customs, from language and attire to music, dance, and oral history, ensuring they remain vibrant for generations to come.”
The festival aims to create an annual week-long platform for celebrating and showcasing Maa cultural expressions, offering spaces for public performances, creative production, and exhibitions. It also promotes awareness of the rich heritage of the Maa-speaking communities, fosters networking opportunities, and encourages partnerships among local and international stakeholders.
By emphasizing the importance of culture in development, the festival seeks to stimulate interest in increased resource allocation for cultural promotion and strengthen collaboration between national and county governments.
Cultural and creative industries are key to socio-economic development, contributing to social cohesion, foreign investment, tourism, employment, and income generation. Festivals like this one are vital platforms for Kenyan communities to celebrate, preserve, and pass down their cultural heritage with minimal commercialization, fostering pride and unity within local communities.
The festival which is brought by County Governments of Narok, Kajiado and Samburu through the Maa Economic Bloc and under the leadership of Patrick Keturet Ole Ntutu, Governor Joseph Ole Lenku and Governor Jonathan Lati Lelelit aims to reaffirm a shared identity and fostering unity across counties.
“The festival seeks to fulfill the aspiration of the National Policy on Culture and Heritage as informed by Article 11 of the Constitution of Kenya that recognizes culture as the foundation of the nation and as cumulative civilization of the people of Kenya,” said Narok Governor Patrick Ntutu.
“The Maa Cultural Week is more than a celebration—it’s an opportunity to preserve our customs, from language and attire to music, dance, and oral history, ensuring they remain vibrant for generations to come.”
The festival aims to provide an annual, week-long space for cultural expressions (Cultural extravaganza), enjoyment of Maa-speaking group’s cultural expressions, provide and facilitate public creation, production, and exhibition space(s) and raise awareness on the rich and diverse Maa-speaking groups’ cultural heritage.
It also seeks to provide spaces for Networking and partnerships within and across, communities, Counties and international actors, raise awareness on the importance of culture in development & trigger interest for improved allocation of resources for promotion of culture and enhance collaboration mechanisms between the national and county governments.
Cultural and creative industries play a significant role in the socio-economic development of a country; the activities in this sector contribute to social cohesion, foreign investment, tourism, employment, and income generation.
The festivals are major platforms through which Kenyan communities celebrate their unique cultures through diverse cultural performances and exhibitions.
These Festivals are an institution through which cultural expressions are preserved and transmitted to the next generation, a major attraction to the local communities to celebrate their cultural diversity and with minimal commercialization as economic ventures.
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