SAMOSA festival 2012
We all LOVE our samosas and samosa chaat, whether its the beef or the vegeterian variety. So when I heard there was a festival that was an ode to samosa’s, I was like ‘GAFSJJHWCDFCSMAVS!!! WHERE? COUNT ME IN!’
SAMOSA stands for ‘South Asian Mosaic of Society and the Arts’. Did it get you too? Acronyms are the devil. Lesson learnt. Still intrigued after that little misconception? So was I. SAMOSA Festival is the premier and ONLY multicultural music, art and culture festival in the region. It highlights some of the best music, visual arts and cultural initiatives and productions in the country on a diverse platform.
Why ‘South Asian’? The festival was initially a mechanism to channel the Kenyan South Asian population’s contribution society in regard to cohesion and integration initiatives. Today, however, the brand is no longer an exclusive reference to the South Asian population – it has evolved to feature cross cultural productions and events that showcase the best of Kenyan culture, with the South Asian influence as an integral part of Kenya’s unique triple heritage (African, Eastern and Western).
The festival’s primary objective is to promote the message of cohesion, integration and pluralism by facilitating ‘cultural encounters’. It aims to reach out to as wide an audience as possible, irrespective of gender, race or class. It uses performing and visual arts, discussion forums, fashion, food and music to create cross cultural awareness and interaction, develop a national identity irrespective of the ethnic backgrounds and expose the nuances within each culture in a non-offensive, creative and vibrant manner.
The week-long festival will be running from the 22nd September to the 29th September. Some of the festivities will be free and open to the public while some of them will be ticketed-entry concerts/venues/exhibitions (tickets range between 500sh for students with ID to 1500 for adults). Find out the entire schedule for the festival here.
Advance tickets for the ticketed events are available at the following outlets:
- Gigiri: Westlands Sundries
- Muthaiga: Muthaiga Media Store, Mobil Plaza
- Parklands: Alkash, Diamond Plaza
- Westlands: Monty’s Wines & Spirits, Sarit Centre
Savani’s Book Shop, Westgate Mall
- Town: Alliance Francaise
The National Theatre
- Hurlingham: Bookstop, Yaya Centre
- Karen: Que Pasa
- Junction Mall: Mo Moviez
SAMOSA Festival is a non-profit entity (proceeds go to charity) for the IKSAH trust, and is also the ‘cultural arm’ of AwaaZ magazine. The festival is officially endorsed by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and the Ministry for National Heritage and Culture.
This is going to be one amazing cultural hodgepodge of a festival that you should NOT miss! (Sidenote: Go ahead, have a samosa today, you know this article has you thinking about it!!!)
