‘Glamping’ for peace

The average party goer is always looking for new ways to have fun and for those in the concrete jungle of Nairobi, the clubs can be a bit suffocating and now prefer the outdoors.

Any long weekend holiday is met with excitement as they pack up their cars and head whichever direction promises a better view of the horizon and a chance to enjoy their tipple in the wild.

Rugby, Safari Rally, Lewa Marathon and Rhino Charge are some of the events young people look to make up an excuse they are going to watch.

For those who don’t want to venture far, Blankets and Wine is just perfect but even they are starting to head out of town perhaps realising how much fun it is.

But now, Capital FM presenter Chris Foot has launched an arts festival in Molo dubbed “Footloose Festival” which he hopes will help foster peace among warring communities in the volatile Molo county, home to tribal clashes every election year.

Foot, who uses part of his family land in Molo for the event, launched the festival this year working with renown producer David “Blackman” Muthami to make it a reality and it was a success.

“The event was a success, we had targeted 100 people but 200 showed up and a good time was had and I can see the event really growing and becoming a major attraction for anybody across the country, region and beyond,” says Foot. “The event will help give us funds to build a youth centre in the area where young people from different communities can interact and in the process do away with their tribal differences.”

This is one of a kind event. It is held towards the end of February just after wheat and barley has been harvested and just before the rains start.

Foot says the event will be an annual event and will be strictly invite only and for next year, each person who turned up will get four tickets to give to their friends and they expect about 600 people.

The roaring hills in the scenic Rift Valley played host to some of Kenya’s leading urban musicians, an international English act, and some of Nairobi’s finest DJs. To attend, you had to folk out Sh10,000 a ticket excluding meals and accommodation.

Sauti Sol, Fena, Sara Mitaru, DJs Adrian, Protégé and Leo among others had a successful outing with Blackman, saying the feedback was overwhelming.

“We sent out a questionnaire to those who attended and the only complaint was how incredibly cold it was at night,” he laughs. “We organised the event for just two weeks after some of the people Foot was working with opted out, saying the event wouldn’t work. We used friends to test out the initial event since it was the first of its kind.”

“Music brings people together. It is also a great tool to pass on a message and create awareness. We’ve seen the ashes of Molo. It’s time the world saw the beauty. We strongly believe this festival is the answer.”

The weekend started Friday evening after everyone had settled in and the tents erected with Capital FM’s DJ Leo on the decks. He kept the crowd going past midnight when Sauti Sol took over with an electrifying performance that lasted, thanks mostly to the insatiable crowd, until 4am.

“Sauti Sol shocked us, they arrived at midnight, performed till four in the morning and then left immediately as they had another performance. They gave it their all and we were all blown away,” recalls Muthami.

The next day was still a fun filled day with performances for all in attendance, young and old. Break-dancing classes, yoga, painting murals, graffiti, outdoor movies and picnics.

In the evening, performances by Dela, Fena, The Villagers Band, Sara Mitaru and UK singer, Lush and DJs Adrian, Protege and Leo kept the crowd on its feet until dawn.

“It is such a beautiful place that time feels like it stands still and with the beautiful performances by the stars, the crowd kept on going and it was another all nighter in the middle of nowhere,” says Muthami. “Such a cocktail of Kenya’s finest Djs under the open night sky on a wheat farm was completely unheard of. Even those who preferred a calm evening had their own “chill out” lounge.”

Both Foot and Muthami agree that the event can only grow exponentially and they are already talking about bringing in international artistes.

“Several years down the line, we want to have multiple stages with different activities for the crowds and we know it will happen, this will be one of the most important dates in the entertainment calendar,” adds Muthami. “We even had sponsors like SAB Miller, Wines OF The World and Radar Security.”

But at the end of the day, the organisers hope Footloose Festival can bring peace to the area and Foot disagrees that he is doing the event for his own political gain as he tried his hand at politics in 2007.

“There is nothing political about my motive for the festival,” he says. “I was running for a seat in Mogotio where my family is and not Molo and even I am thinking of gunning for a post of Senator in Nairobi so you can see there is nothing selfish about my holding the event in Molo, just carrying out my duty as a Kenyan because the government has failed to keep peace in Molo,” says Foot.