Tharaka cultural festival kicks off at Meru National Park-Ura Gate
The Ura Gate Cultural Centre traditional dancers perform Kibuucho dance during the Tharaka annual cultural festival in August 2015. The second edition of the three-day Tharaka Cultural Festival starts Thursday, August 18, 2016 at Meru National Park-Ura Gate. PHOTO | ALEX NJERU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The theme of the event is “Building resilience to climate change through culture.”
- The event will involve a number of activities such as songs, dances, anti-poaching campaign, game drives and cultural exhibitions.
- It will also feature a business park, indigenous foods, plant and crops and culinary practices.
- Ura Gate, which is the southern entrance to the Meru National Park, had been closed for 30 years before its re-opening in 2015.
The second edition of the three-day Tharaka Cultural Festival starts Thursday at Meru National Park-Ura Gate.
The theme of the event is “Building resilience to climate change through culture.”
Tharaka-Nithi County boasts of rich and diverse heritage and has a wide range of natural resources.
Communities living around Meru National Park started the festival to promote the conservation and sustainable use of the common heritage of the riparian communities, namely Tharaka, Igembe, Tigania, Orma, Somali and Borana.
The festival founding partners include Ura Gate Tharaka Cultural Festival (UCTCF), Tharaka-Nithi County government, the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), the German Embassy, National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), Marimanti Baobab Lodge and African Biodiversity Network.
ACTIVITIES
The event will involve a number of activities such as songs, dances, anti-poaching campaign, game drives and cultural exhibitions.
It will also feature a business park, indigenous foods, plant and crops and culinary practices.
Similar festivals have been done in Malindi, Marsabit, Mombasa and Lamu where people from different cultures come together in the celebration of the diverse cultures.
Ura Gate, which is the southern entrance to the Meru National Park, had been closed for 30 years before its re-opening in 2015.
Tourists from all over the world who visit the park through the gate are expected to attend the festival.
It also aimed at uniting the Ameru people by celebrating their culture and nurturing various talents.
It is also intended to show in the modern way how the fore-fathers of the Tharaka people related among themselves and with other communities.
