Lake Turkana Cultural Festival Tobong'u Lore | |
---|---|
Frequency | Annually |
Location(s) | Turkana County, including Lodwar and Loiyangalani |
Years active | 2008–present |
Inaugurated | June 1, 2008 |
Attendance | Thousands |
Budget | 33-70 million Kenyan shillings |
The Tobong'u Lore, known in English as the Lake Turkana Cultural Festival, is a celebration of indigenous culture held every spring in Turkana, northern Kenya. [1] [2] The festival is hosted by a number of indigenous communities adjacent to the lake, and is meant to promote peace, cultural exchange, and tourism. [2] [1] [3] [4] The El Molo people host the festival in Loiyangalani every June, [1] and the Turkana people host the festival in Lodwar in April. [2] The Tobong'u Lore is considered among the largest of cultural festivals in Kenya, and has become a venue for appearances by prominent Kenyan politicians. [1] [5] [6]
The festival in Loiyangalani was first held in 2008 as a mechanism of promoting peace and cooperation among the communities that border Lake Turkana. [1] In Lodwar, the festival began being held in 2014. [2] Participating communities, which extend across national borders, include the Turkana, the Dassanech, the Samburu, the Somali, the Borana, the Gabbra, the Rendille, the Sakuye, the Wata, the Burji, the Garee, the Konso, and the El Molo people. [1] [3] The festival's creation was supported by the National Museums of Kenya and the German Government, and coincided with the opening of a museum in the town. [1] [4]
The festival attracts thousands of visitors every year. [1] [7] Some visitors are from countries that border Kenya, including Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda. [1] [7] A delegation from Nigeria has also attended. [5] Turkana County officials state that the festival is intended in part to promote tourism and development. [1] The Tobong'u Lore is one of a number of initiatives advanced by the Kenyan government to promote cultural tourism and preserve local culture among smaller ethnic groups in Kenya. [4]
The phrase "Tobong'u Lore" means "welcome back home" in the Turkana language. [2] The phrase is a reference to the archaeological and paleontological heritage of the Turkana Basin. [8]
In 2019 Turkana officials reduced spending on the festival from 70 million Kenyan Shillings to 33, diverting funds to address a local drought crisis. [5]
The festival features local culture, nature, and archeological heritage. [1] Participants wear traditional attire during ceremonies. [2] Activities include a three-day carnival, with music and dance from local groups, and speeches by local leaders. [1] [8] [7] Consistent with local customs, the festivities continue after sundown. [1]
Exhibitions promote local crafts and food. [2] [7] [3] The protection of wildlife is another theme addressed by the festival. [7]
Many Kenyan officials have attended the festival, and some politicians have used the event to make announcements related to political campaigns or policies. [8] [9] [6] [5] In 2019 the festival was attended by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and by the Deputy President William Ruto; [5] in 2020 Governor Kivutha Kibwana used the festival as a venue to announce his bid for the presidency in upcoming elections. [6]
Cultural tourism is a type of tourism in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the cultural attractions and products offered by a tourist destination. These attractions and products relate to the intellectual, spiritual, and emotional features of a society that encompasses arts and architecture, historical and cultural heritage, culinary heritage, literature, music, creative industries as well as the living cultures with their lifestyles, value systems, beliefs and traditions.
Lake Turkana is a saline lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. By volume it is the world's fourth-largest salt lake after the Caspian Sea, Issyk-Kul, and Lake Van, and among all lakes it ranks 24th.
Trans-Nzoia County is a county in the former Rift Valley Province, Kenya, located between the Nzoia River and Mount Elgon, 380 km northwest of Nairobi. At its centre is the town of Kitale which is the county capital and largest town. It is bordered by the Republic of Uganda to the west, Bungoma and Kakamega Counties to the south, West Pokot County to the east, and Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu Counties to the southeast. Trans Nzoia covers an area of 2495.5 square kilometres. The county has a cool and temperate climate, with daytime temperatures ranging from 23.4°C to 29.2°C and nighttime temperatures from 11.0°C to 13.5°C. It receives moderate rainfall, making it suitable for agriculture
Lokichogio, is a town in the Turkana District in northwest Kenya. It is often called Loki for short. The town lies on the A1 road, and is served by the Lokichogio Airport.
Nakuru is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and it is the fourth largest city in Kenya and the largest in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya|Rift Valley region. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570,674, making it the largest urban center in the Rift Valley, above Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. The city lies along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway, 160 kilometres (99 mi) from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.
The Turkana are a Nilotic people native to the Turkana County in northwest Kenya, a semi-arid climate region bordering Lake Turkana in the east, Pokot, Rendille and Samburu people to the south, Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west and Ethiopia to the north.
Lodwar is the largest town in north-western Kenya, located west of Lake Turkana on the A1 road. Its main industries are basket weaving and tourism. The Loima Hills lie to its west. Lodwar is the capital of Turkana County. The town had a population of 82,970 in the 2019 census.
Loiyangalani is a small town located on the southeastern coast of Lake Turkana in Kenya. The town has a population of 5,117. Loiyangalani means "a place of many trees" in the native Samburu tongue. It is home to Rendille and Elmollo People but now has other Kenyan communities like Turkana people, Luo, Meru, and Somali. It was founded near a freshwater spring in the 1960s where the Rendille and El Molo people live. Its main industries include fishing, tourism and gold panning. It is a popular tourist destination in Northern Kenya, as the surrounding El Molo and Turkana villages offer unique experiences.
The Constant Gardener is a 2005 drama thriller film directed by Fernando Meirelles. The screenplay by Jeffrey Caine is based on John le Carré's 2001 novel. The story follows Justin Quayle, a British diplomat in Kenya, as he tries to solve the murder of his wife Tessa, an Amnesty activist, alternating with many flashbacks telling the story of their love.
Turkana County is a county in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It is home to the Turkana people. It is Kenya's largest county by land area of 77,597.8 km2 followed by Marsabit County with an area of 66,923.1 km2. It is bordered by the countries of Uganda to the west; South Sudan and Ethiopia, including the disputed Ilemi Triangle, to the north and northeast; and Lake Turkana to the east. To the south and east, neighbouring counties in Kenya are West Pokot, Baringo and Samburu Counties, while Marsabit County is on the opposite shore of Lake Turkana. Turkana's capital and largest town is Lodwar. The county had a population of 926,976 according to the 2019 census report. It is Projected to reach 1.048M people in 2024
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodwar is a diocese located in the city of Lodwar in the ecclesiastical province of Kisumu in Kenya.
El Molo is a possibly extinct language belonging to the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. It was spoken by the El Molo people on the southeastern shore of Lake Turkana, in northern Kenya. Alternate names to El Molo are Dehes, Elmolo, Fura-Pawa, and Ldes. It was thought to be extinct in the middle part of the 20th century, but a few speakers were found in the later 20th century. Most of the El Molo population have shifted to the neighboring Samburu language. El Molo also has no known dialects but it is similar to Daasanach.
Kivutha Kibwana is a Kenyan politician and human rights activist. He was Minister for Defence, Minister for Environment and a former member of parliament for the Makueni Constituency. He is also a former advisor to President Mwai Kibaki. Prof. Kibwana's second term as the first Governor of Makueni County ended in 2022.
Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWP) is a wind farm in Kenya. It is located in Loiyangalani District, in Marsabit County, approximately 545 kilometres (339 mi) by road north of Nairobi, Kenya's capital city. This wind farm location benefits from a persistent wind phenomenon called the Turkana jet.
The El Molo, also known as Elmolo, Dehes, Fura-Pawa and Ldes, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the northern Eastern Province of Kenya. They historically spoke the El Molo language as a mother tongue, an Afro-Asiatic language of the Cushitic branch, and now most El Molo speak Samburu.
Loiyangalani–Suswa High Voltage Power Line is a high voltage electricity power line in Kenya, connecting the high voltage substation at Loyangalani, in Marsabit County, to another high voltage substation at Suswa, in Narok County.
The Turkana Geothermal Power Station, is a 140 megawatts (187,743 hp) geothermal power station under development in Kenya.
Friends of Lake Turkana (FoLT) is a nonprofit organization in Kenya that was founded in 2007 by Kenyan environmentalist Ikal Angelei. The organization has worked to stop the construction of the Ethiopian Gilgel Gibe III Dam on the Omo River, Lake Turkana's primary source of water. Due to FoLT and other partner's advocacy work on saving Lake Turkana, the Lake was added to the list of world Heritage sites in Danger by UNESSCO in June 2018.
The African Heritage House is a national monument in Kenya, classified and gazetted under the National Museums and Heritage Act in 2016. Designed by Alan Donovan, built to preserve forgotten architectural designs of the African continent. The house is facing the Nairobi national park, and the public can visit the house for a tour, lunches, dinners, events, conferences, and overnight stays.
The Wajir Museum is a museum located in northeastern Kenya. The museum is in charge of showing the different cultures that inhabit Wajir. The museum is managed by the state-owned National Museums of Kenya Corporation. This is the first museum in Wajir County.