By Ogova Ondego
Published November 30, 2013
It appears everything in Kenya is at the moment resonating with the theme of ‘Kenya@50‘ to mark 50 years of independence in Kenya. Even art has not been left out.
Six artists–El Tayeb Dawelbait, Camille Wekesa, Sane Wadu, Justus Kyalo, Chelenge Van Rampelberg, Peterson Kamwathi–are from December 8, 2013 displaying works on their concept of freedom at Ecology Gallery of Nairobi National Museum. The exhibition that is scheduled to end on January 31,2014, runs 8.30am-5.30pm daily.
“In celebration of Kenya at 50 years, six artists explore what freedom means to them both as artists as well as Kenyans in an economically emerging continent,” says a media release from NMK. “The artists express the concept of freedom using a multitude of media with minimal constraints or parameters to produce a body of work that provokes us to think of what freedom means to us as Kenyans 50 years after Independence.”
The 7th edition of Sawa Sawa Music Festival that runs at Arboretum in Nairobi on December 21, 2013 shall also be held on the theme of Kenya @50 as will Sondeka Fest that runs at GreenHouse mall, Adams Arcade, Ngong Road, November 29-December 1, 2013.
While the former is an annual family-friendly music festival with “various catering points and vending areas, child activities, Sarakasi dancers and acrobats, a live band on main stage and a smaller acoustic stage for the young,up-and-coming artists”, the latter is marketed as a “Kenya’s first annual creative festival which serves as a platform for numerous events, activities, exhibitions that showcase Kenya’s creative industry and promote Kenya as Africa’s centre for creativity and investment opportunities.”