|
|
|||||||||||
|
Kenya’s
world famous African Heritage is about to begin an extensive and
ambitious tour of Germany and Austria.
Some 28 musicians, models, dancers, acrobats, hairdressers and
craftspeople will be flown to Europe by the German airline, Lufthansa,
this spring. The African Heritage Festival, which is touring Europe for
the first time since its remarkably successful visit 10 years ago will
hold shows at various cities throughout the two countries. In
each city where African Heritage performs, there will be food festivals
sponsored by the Hotel Inter-Continental and Forum Hotels and a Gala
Benefit Night to be opened by the local mayors and Kenya’s Ambassador
to Germany, Dr. Victor Ogutu-Obare.
The shows are being supported by the Kenya Tourist Office and the
Kenya Embassy in Bonn. The
organizers hope that one of the more beneficial fallouts of the tour
will be the opportunity to offset some of the very negative publicity
about Africa that is currently the vogue in Europe. The
African Heritage troupe will showcase the creative side not only of
Kenya but the entire continent of Africa. The idea is not only to
attract tourist to countries like Kenya, but to portray Africa as a
dynamic force in the world of art, music, dance and other creative endeavors. Among
the great cultural heritages of Africa are it sculpture and textiles.
Both are highlighted in the festival.
The Festival opens with a “Textile Tour Africa”, with
segments featuring the splendid hand-woven and hand-printed textiles
from various African countries and authentic African costumes. Apart
from colourful displays of African costumes and fashions, African
Heritage’s troupe of talented dancers are certain to add vigour to the
entertainment extravaganza. Also
on offer will be a wide range of mouth-watering delicacies from various
culinary areas of Africa. Among
the highlights will be the famous Seychelloise fish soup and the full
range of delicious Swahili cooking, including fish, chicken and
chickpeas cooked in creamy coconut sauces.
Grilled and barbecued meats will include eland, ostrich and zebra
in addition to the usual beef, lamb and chicken. During
each show, there will be an exhibition of Kenyan crafts and African
Heritage jewellery. Designers
for this jewellery have based their work firmly on African traditions
and use an astonishing array of local material to produce startling
shapes and forms. It is no secret that African Heritage fashion and
jewellery has inspired many of the leading fashion and jewellery
designers of Europe and America. The
last time African Heritage went o Europe, 10 years ago, a review which
appeared in a Brussels newspaper had this to say about the show: “It
was a long time ago that something of this kind and quality was offered
to us. The dullness of the
usual “exotic” fashion shows we have been offered has made us
accustomed to regarding them in a high and mighty way, at the very most,
as emanations from an outmoded folklore.
Let us salute this young team of Kenyan creators as maters...” Times
have certainly changed since then. Today African Heritage is regarded as
in the van guard of the world fashion movement with designers from all
over the globe borrowing freely from its concepts. It
was also through African Heritage and the work of photographers like
Peter Beard that African models like Imam, Khadija and Fayel became
queens of the fashion catwalks of Europe and paved the way for other
black beauties, like Naomi Campbell, to reign, supreme in the world of
fashion. |
||||||||||
|
Top
of Page | Home
| Site Map | Advertise
| Contact Us | |
|||||||||||
