The Sidi Goma group, which is to perform at this year’s Samosa festival. Photo/FILE
What you need to know:
It’s this idea which gave birth to the SAMOSA festival in Kenya. SAMOSA stands for the South Asian Mosaic of Society and the Arts. The biannual event is a celebration of Kenya’s African, Eastern and Western heritages.
Started in 2005, as a two day event at the Go Down Arts Centre, SAMOSA had grown to a week long event celebrating the mix of African, Asian and European cultures through different platforms.
This year SAMOSA is working with creative partners who will develop an artistic expression of what it means to be Kenyan within the context of the country’s unique triple heritage.
Themed “Creating Cultural Encounters” the 2012 festival will feature Sidi Goma, a group that epitomises a pluralistic society. One of the central activities will be the Mobile Cinema, which will target youth living in informal settlements.
Other events include a photography exhibition called ‘Faces of Kenya’ and a theatrical production called Tides written by BBC award winning playwright Kuldip Sondhi which depicts cultural responses to corruption in Kenya.
This year’s event will take place from September 22 to 29.
Everyone knows what a samosa is but few have thought about how ubiquitous the food form has become popular globally yet its essentials of three points remain the same.
It’s this idea which gave birth to the SAMOSA festival in Kenya. SAMOSA stands for the South Asian Mosaic of Society and the Arts. The biannual event is a celebration of Kenya’s African, Eastern and Western heritages.
Started in 2005, as a two day event at the Go Down Arts Centre, SAMOSA had grown to a week long event celebrating the mix of African, Asian and European cultures through different platforms.
In 2010, the Tribanghi dance broke further boundaries of perceptions with Inian femaldancers performing with half-naked Zulu warriors.
“Delicate Indian female dancers were in beautiful harmony with fierce, Zulu warrior men,” says Farrah Nurani, Festival Director for SAMOSA 2012. The performance challenged a prominent Kenyan taboo by showcasing an Indian girl dancing with fierce, half-naked black men.
“If you look at me today, you’ll say I am Indian but if you look at my behaviour you won’t be able to place it. All of us, as we digress from our core cultures and try to find our places in the world, we’re exhibiting more difference,” said Farrah.
“We are trying to show people that everyone is different. That there is always going to be diversity.”
But when you encounter difference, Ms Nurani reasoned, the reaction should not be one of fear. It ought to be curiosity or anticipation or excitement. The festival costs Sh25 million, each year, the bulk of which goes into performance costs of local and international artists.
The number of trade exchanges offered by Kenyan corporates, communities and cultural groups in 2012 has however surpassed previous years and Farrah says that this speaks to the growth of service and volunteerism within Kenyan society.
This year SAMOSA is working with creative partners who will develop an artistic expression of what it means to be Kenyan within the context of the country’s unique triple heritage.
Themed “Creating Cultural Encounters” the 2012 festival will feature Sidi Goma, a group that epitomises a pluralistic society. One of the central activities will be the Mobile Cinema, which will target youth living in informal settlements.
Other events include a photography exhibition called ‘Faces of Kenya’ which will feature the work of Neil Thomas, a Kenyan photographer of Western origin who has travelled the country capturing the intrinsic beauty of Kenya’s ethnic cultures; and a theatrical production called Tides written by BBC award winning playwright Kuldip Sondhi which depicts cultural responses to corruption in Kenya.
This year’s event will take place from September 22 to 29.
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