Kenya: The Lamu Cultural Festival has officially begun. It is an annual event that attracts local and international visitors for a colourful celebration of the rich heritage of the region. This year, in 2024 it is celebrating its 22nd edition to significantly boost tourism in Lamu.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has shared the glimpses from the celebration and is participating as stakeholders in the annual event. The Lamu Cultural Festival has recorded a higher turnout of local and international visitors.
It is a very unique festival that showcases the coastal charm of Lamu and offers more than just beach holidays. The festival provides a deep cultural immersion steeped in heritage, history and tradition.
Every year, the Lamu Archipelago comes alive and highlights its rich Swahili heritage. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in vibrant culture of Lamu, as they enjoy music, cuisine and the incredible talents of local artisans who display their handicrafts.
Lamu Cultural Festival features a variety of activities that includes traditional dances, exquisite handicraft displays and unique competitions that are held on both land and water.
Attendees who attend the event can look forward to Swahili poetry, donkey races, show races, henna paintings and electrifying musical performances.
Noting this, General Manager of Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) for Lamu Port – Eng. Vincent Sidai said that the festival presents significant economic investment opportunities in the coastal region.
What happens at Lamu Cultural Festival?
During the annual Lamu Cultural Festival, the island comes to life and during this long week festival, several competitions and races are staged.
Events observed at the festival are completely designed to encourage the local skills or practices that are central to Lamu life. These artistic skills mostly include the traditional Swahili poetry and Henna painting.
It also includes Bao competition, which is probably the oldest known game in the human history, and also has its archaeological evidence, which suggests that the game has been played for thousands of years throughout the Africa and the Middle East.
Morever, in order to preserve and encourage the art of dhow sailing, a dhow race is also held. In this race, the competitors select the finest dhows of the town to compete and race under the sail through a complicated series of buoys. The race combines the speed with elaborated tacking and manoeuvring skills, required to win.
Indeed, the real highlight of this cultural festival is the most endearing Donkey Race. In this race, the local donkey jockeys literally spend their entire year honing their riding skills and training their donkeys for the event. Donkeys are not seen as symbol of shame or silliness here, as after winning, the rider wears his title with great pride.
Other than this the annual Lamu Cultural Festival also includes events such as swimming and it is a good time to enjoy the local cuisines of the island.