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[Update] Kwani? LitFest 2012: Stories of the Horn of Africa, Dec. 9-16 2012 @ Various Venues

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Festival Dates: December 9 -16, 2012
Events Line Up: Public Lectures, Writers in conversation, Readings, Performances, Art Exhibitions, Film Screenings
Venues: various venues – Kifaru Gardens, Kwani? Garden, National Museum, University of Nairobi, Goethe Institut, Kuona Trust, Habesha, Kibera, KICC Helipad, Eastleigh, South B [map below]

Update: All the events scheduled to take place at University of Nairobi have been moved to the National Museum

Kwani Lit Fest Map
Entry to most of the events is Free

Download litfest_programme

Focus: Stories of the Horn of Africa with participating Countries – Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan & Kenya

Some of the writers confirmed for the festival are: Hadraawi – Somalia, Warsan Shire – Somalia, Sayadin Hersi – Somalia, Awes Osman – Somalia, Said Juma Hussein – Somalia, Chehem Watta – Djibouti, Meaza Worku – Ethiopia, Jamal Mahjoub – Sudan, Alemseged Tesfai – Eritrea, Nawal El Saadawi – Egypt, Kojo Laing – Ghana, Helon Habila – Nigeria, Deqa Abshir – Somalia/Kenya, Fawaz El Said – Sudan, Yassir Ali – Sudan, Altayeb Daw Elbeit – Sudan, Ermais Ekube – Ethiopia

A Snap Shot of the Programme
Date: December 9, 2012
Venue: Kifaru Gardens
Time: 2-10 pm
Music by: Waayaha Cusub and Kato& Band
DJ Set by: DJ Zelalem
Entry: Free
Date: December 10, 2012
Venue: Goethe-Institut Nairobi, Monrovia Street
Time: 2.30 – 8 pm
Entry: Free
Date: December 11, 2012
Venue: University of Nairobi National Museum
Time: 2– 7 pm
Entry: Free
Date: December 12, 2012
Venue: Louis Leakey Auditorium, National Museum
Time: 2.30-8 pm
Entry: Free
Date: December 13, 2012
Venues: Hotel Intercontinental, Taifa Hall (University of Nairobi) & Louis Leakey Auditorium, National Museum
Time: 2.30– 7.30 pm
Entry: Free
Date: December 14, 2012
Venues: Louis Leakey Auditorium (National Museum) & Kuona Trust
Free Entry
Date: December 15, 2012
Venues: Louis Leakey Auditorium (National Museum) & KICC Helipad
Entry: Free (National Museum)
Entry: Ksh 1,000 (KICC Helipad)

About
The Kwani? Literary Festival is organised by Kwani Trust on a biennial basis where the literary leaders of Kenya, enriched with visiting writers from around the world, turn their attention to one salient subject and explore it through the lenses of the continent’s past, present and emerging literatures. In 2012, the Litfest will focus on several geopolitical trends and shifts in Kenya’s immediate north to host literary conversations with the Horn of Africa.
It thus aims to act as a platform where the story of the Horn of Africa can be told, to an extent, not taking the political crisis narrative as the only story that exists.
Additionally, the pan-African exchange programme of Goethe-Institut Moving Africa will bring a further eight African writers to Nairobi.

For the exact programme please visit the 2012 Kwani? Litfest website: http://litfest.kwani.org
More information on Moving Africa: http://www.blog.goethe.de/moving-africa/

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African Children’s Dance Company – Debut, Dec 9 2012 @ National Museum

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The African Children’s Dance Company will hold their debut performance on December 9, 2012 at 3pm at the Louis Leakey Auditorium, located at the National Museum. They will be joined in performing Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Modern Dance by the Nairobi Jazz Dance Company, the Wee Ones Dancers, and will share the stage with the musical groups Almasi Acappella, Central Jazz, and the Miale Band. Tickets are KSH 700; KSH 800 at the door; children under 10 KSH 600. Call 0728 719 871 to MPESA for tickets or 0719 715 935 for more information, or email them bethezerdance@gmail.com.

Installation: Hip-Hop is Dead by Oliver Okoth, Nov. 8-31 2012 @ National Museum

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Dates: November 3-31, 2012
Venue: Creativity Gallery, National Museum
Entry: Museum Rates Apply

When you turn on the radio and hip-hop tunes in, do you think music or din? That is the point that Victor Okoth addresses as he takes us on a musical art journey with striking compositions and installations motivated by hip-hop sounds and lyrics.

The main message in this exhibition, which resonates with American rapper Nas eighth studio album Hip-Hop Is Dead, is that whereas original hip-hop had deep messages that were intended by marginal black youth to shed light on contemporary politics, history, and race, today’s hip hop is caught in fierce crosswinds of vulgarism, bling-bling materialism and violence.

Hip-Hop is important to Okoth precisely because American hip hop artists are to some extend responsible for influencing social behaviour of Kenyan youth. And that is what provoked him to use his artistic expression to analyze hip-hop.
The exhibition begins by highlighting what Okoth sees as good hip-hop and ends with a dramatic installation of a shooting ring.

Exhibition: Life Expression by Joseph Cartoon, Nov. 3-31 2012 @ National Museum

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Dates: November 3-31, 2012
Venue: Creativity Gallery, National Museum
Entry: Museum Rates Apply

About Joseph Cartoon
Since selling his first piece in 1994 to Gallery Watatu, one of the earliest & most prestigious galleries of the time, Kenyan artist Cartoon (Joseph Njuguna) has participated in numerous group exhibitions and solo shows in East Africa, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Denmark, Japan, and Korea among other countries.

Some of his achievements include appearing on the cover of Contemporary African Art, a prestigious annual catalogue on Contemporary Art in Africa (1999) and winning the Royal Oversees League Award (2001, as well as being the only nominee from Africa). The latter award earned him a 2 year residency in the UK after which he continued to participate in local and world art projects that have seen him become one of the most collected artists in Kenya.

The powerful interplay of symbolism and colour is outstanding in Cartoon’s art that mainly features the traditional African woman, folk tales and daily aspects of the African family. Other outstanding features are mushrooms indicating the rich highlands where he was born and a chameleon acknowledging ever changing times.

Cartoon is married with two boys and lives and paints in Nairobi.