Category: Culture

Fish lovers have every reason to smile this Easter as the County Government of Kisumu has organized a fish festival to sample the best freshwater fish from Lake Victoria.
County Director of Tourism Thomas Ouko said the signature event targets to woo visitors to the lake side county as efforts to revive tourism in the western circuit gain momentum.
Visitors will have a chance to eat various types of fish on the shores of Lake Victoria besides participating in other events lined up during the celebrations.
The event slated for 6th-9th April 2023 will bring together state and non-state agencies to promote tourism and chart the way forward on conservation of Lake Victoria.
Visitors will be treated to the best Luo cuisine, traditions and music with the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) displaying some of the various fish species found in Lake Victoria.
‘This lake used to be home to over 200 species of fish, but due to pollution and human activity the number has reduced significantly. That is why we are creating conversations around this matter to help conserve the lake,’ he said.
This, added Ouko, was in line with the county government’s agenda to promote Kisumu as a tourist destination of choice.
The department of tourism, he said, has launched a campaign dubbed ‘Kisumu My Pride’ with a goal to market the best the county has to offer to the world.
‘Lake Victoria is a key attraction. That is why the county government wants to promote it through various activities to attract visitors. Just the way people go to Mombasa to holiday we want them to come to Kisumu,’ he said.
Through partnership with the Osiepe Sango organization, a cleanup along the shores of the lake has been planned ahead of the key event.
Other events lined up during the festival include fireworks, boat racing, tug of war, photo contest, Mr and Mrs Tourism, Mr Flex, Mr Strong, Luo Traditional Wrestling, lake excursion and exhibitions.
Ouko said auditions for the events have been finalized and the winners in the various categories will compete during the celebrations to be held at Hippo Point Public Beach in Kisumu City.
Visitors and participants, he said, will also have a chance to engage in talk shows, symposia and a tour of the lake.
Besides promotion of tourism, the county director said the event will present an opportunity for the participants to exploit their talents with a view to earning a living from them.
‘Our goal is to expose the talent out there and support our youth to make a living out of it. Already some organizations have approached with the intention of absorbing some of the youth who have been participating in the Sub county auditions,’ he said.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Eastern region drama festivals for secondary schools opened on Monday at Katoloni Secondary School with students staging thrilling performances. The festivals that were officially launched by the Machakos Deputy Governor Mr. Francis Mwangangi will see students perform different genres ranging from choral verses, plays, modern dances, comedy, spoken word and narratives. The theme for the festivals is fostering digital transformation through film and theatre. Over 120 schools drawn from the eight counties will participate in the festivals that will end on Thursday. Winners will represent the region at the national drama festivals to be held in Mombasa in April. Mwangangi underscored the need for the festivals in identification and development of talents for learners. ‘In line with the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), these festivals will prepare students for professional careers in film and theatre, ‘he said. The DG also said that the festivals empower students with social skills like teamwork, confidence and attention. ‘The performances help improve self-esteem among other soft skills that will help students navigate life,’ added Mwangangi. Regional Quality Assurance and Standards Officer Mr. Simon Maina speaking at the same event said the government was keen on establishing academies to ensure that the talents do not go down the drain. ‘The government is on top of things to ensure that such talents are developed after the students exit secondary schools,’ said Maina, and assured the participants of fairness and transparency during the competition. ‘I want to assure that the adjudicators are people of integrity and will only ensure that the best performances win,’ added Maina. Katoloni Secondary School Principal Mr. Francis Ndimu said the school was honoured to host the regional festivals and assured the participants of adequate facilities throughout the competition. ‘We are glad to have hosted the festivals after a two year hiatus due to covid. The festivals besides espousing talents also enhances learning and discipline,’ said Ndimu.

Source: Kenya News Agency

International Women’s Day, 8 March, has been celebrated at regional levels in the Southern, Southern Red Sea Regions as well as in Sawa under the theme “Eritrean Women-Unwavering and Undertaking Sweats to Cultivate”.

At the occasion conducted in Segeneity at regional level and in which Brig. Gen. Tekle Kiflai, Commander of the Central Command, and Mr. Habteab Tesfatsion, Governor of the Southern Region, as well as other government officials and people’s representatives took part, Ms. Senait Afwerki, head of the National Union of Eritrean Women branch in Southern Region, explaining on the role and participation of Eritrean women in all staged of the Eritrean history, called for reinforced participation and contribution in the implementation of the national development programs.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Habteab Tesfatsion, Governor of the region, called for integrated effort to develop the participation of women in education, vocational training programs and in other sectors.

In the same vein, International Women’s Day has been enthusiastically celebrated in the port city of Assab at regional level.

Ambassador Mohammed-Seid Mantai, Governor of the region, Brig. Gen. Abraham Andom, Commander of Eastern Command, and other officials as well as a number of Assab residents attended the occasion.

Indicating that International Women’s Day is being celebrated at a historical stage in the history of the country, Ms. Sa’adia Ibrahim, head of the union branch in the region, called on women to take advantage of the opportunities being provided and improve their livelihoods.

Similarly, International Women’ Day has been celebrated in Sawa in the presence of the Commanders of the Sawa national service training center and students.

The events of the celebrations featured cultural and artistic performance depicting the day.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Hennok Mulueberhan who plays for the Green Project team won the eight-day Tour du Rwanda race in Rwanda.

The Eritrean won this race after wearing the Maillot Jaune on Saturday during the seventh stage of the Tour du Rwanda from Nyamata to Mount Kigali.

In the last area played in Kigali city this Sunday, Hennok was playing with three other players who were ahead of the general ranking because the second one was equal but they were separated by the fact that they have been driving in all areas according to the rules.

Henok Mulueberhan became the fourth player from Eritrea to win the Tour du Rwanda, after Daniel Tekleheimanot who won in 2010, Merhawi Kudus who won in 2019, Natnael Tesfazion who won in 2020 and 2022.

Hennok Mulueberhan in today’s area also finished in first place with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 52 seconds, equaling the time of the four others who followed him.

Hennok then won the Tour du Rwanda with a total time of 28 hours, 58 minutes and one second, equaling the Italian Walter Calzoni, but Hennok brought him ahead because he performed well in all areas including the one he won.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Nahom Abraham from Eritrea has won the top prize for best film, and $5,000, in the Berlinale’s 2023 NEFTI award for his film Home, a drama about a couple longing to be reunited.

Mihk Vergara and Miko Livelo from the Philippines took the NEFTI Audience Viewers Choice award, along with the $2,000 prize for You Are Gathered Here Today, a story about a man who returns home to the Philippines to bury his father and reunite with his best friends.

The third finalist was Zoulikha Tahar from Algeria for her film Leila’s Night Of Joy, about a girl who, on her 25th birthday, finally stands up for herself and takes her life into her own hands.

A panel of judges, including actress Vivica A. Fox, Oscar-winning producer Bruce Cohen (American Beauty) and Fox/Disney President, of feature post-production Ted Gagliano, picked the NEFTI winners together with last year’s competition winner Minenhle Luthuli, selected the three finalists.

The NEFTI awards, sponsored by Austria’s NEFT Vodka and backed by the Berlinale’s European Film Market, the Durban Film Mart, and the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA), are designed to celebrate, and challenge, filmmakers from emerging economic regions to showcase their creative skills and to expand their reach into regions that may otherwise not have been available to them. While the short films did not have to be about NEFT, they all had to include the vodka brand in a way other than product placement. The only other criteria for were that all films must be non-violent and non-political.

The next NEFTI competition, NEFTI Africa, isopen only to applicants living on the continent or African territories. Applications open on May 1. There are also plans for aNEFTI All-Stars competition, where the winners from all NEFTI events create new films to compete for a NEFTI All-Stars prize.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

British Rider, Ethan Vernon, of Team Soudal-QuickStep claimed the second stage of Tour du Rwanda 2023 from City of Kigali to Gisagara district in Southern Province.

Vernon was victorious after 132.9km from Kigali to Gisagara, ensuring that the yellow jersey does not change hands, ahead of the third stage set for tomorrow, from Huye to Musanze district.

Vernon made it two-in-two, after beating his closest contender, Eritrean Mulueberhan Hanok of Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè, to the finish like after a largely flat and fast race that ender in the Southern Province district bordering Burundi.

Meijers Jeroen of Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team came in third while Raisberg Nadav of Israel – Premier Tech managed to finish fourth in a sprint finish which saw Vernon emerge on top.

Things just turned out as predicted for Vernon, who became the first British cyclist to win a stage in Tour du Rwanda, pointing out that he expected to do well on the second stage considering that it would be relatively flat as the first stage.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online