Festival of India in Kenya, Urafiki Utsav, opens with thrilling Qawwal performances

In the series of the cultural extravaganza organized as part of the ongoing first ever Festival of India in Kenya (Urafiki Utsav), a Qawwali group - Haji Mohd. Idrees and Party (Qutbi Brothers Qawwal) – performed in Mombasa. 

In Mombasa, the Qawwali group performed at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Fort Jesus, which was first ever cultural performance by any foreign country at the site. The Qawwali group presented a number of Sufi songs, Bollywood songs and songs on request from the audience. 

Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Sports, Culture and the Arts, Dr. Hassan Wario came all the way to Mombasa to attend the function as Chief Guest. 

The event was attended by over 650 people including Issa Timamy, Governor of Lamu County, Mohammed Abbas, Minister of Youth, Sports and Gender, County government of Mombasa, and Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, Member of Parliament, Mvita Constituency of Kenya. 

In their second performance, at the Oshwal Centre Auditorium in Nairobi on 21 November, the Qawwali group thrilled the audience with their rendition of various Sufiana and Bollywood Qawwali numbers. 

H. E. Amb. Ken N. Osinde, Chief of Staff, Office of the Deputy President of Kenya, Amb. Christopher Chika, Director General, Asia and Australasia Division of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya, Hon'ble Abdul Rahim Dawood, Member of Parliament and Hon’ble Ms. Sonia Birdi, Member of Parliament, were among the dignitaries present during the event. More than 300 people from the Indian diaspora including leaders of the Indian community associations attended the event. 

Next in the series, three performances of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance, by Padma Bhushan Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan and troupe, will be held in Nairobi on Monday, November 28. 

All performances are free and open to the public.