By Iminza Keboge
Published December 28, 2017
One year ends and another opens with an art exhibition titled Living Dangerously.
Yes, Living Dangerously is an exhibition of photographs on human struggles, film stars, celebrities, and pop and rock stars during the Second World War that is currently running daily in the Cultural Dynamism Gallery of Nairobi National Museum in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, till January 18, 2018.
The images on show were taken by Terence Spencer, a LIFE magazine photojournalist and World War 11 pilot.
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Coming on the hells of Living Dangerously is the 9th Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa (INVESTOUR) in Madrid, Spain, January 17-21, 2018
Organised by International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR), World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Casa África, the event, that is scheduled for January 17-21, 2018, is expected to discuss some of the most pertinent topics for the African continent, prominent among them being the situation of the Africa Brand and its impact on the African continent’s tourism.
The Investour Forum, the organisers say, will debate ‘Africa Brand: promoting tourism development and investment opportunities’ and identify an integrated approach to harmonise sustainable tourism with the protection of biodiversity, putting emphasis on how to involve the local community in the efforts to conserve biodiversity. In this regard, the forum will also become a space for exploring and drafting well-established policies committed to developing sustainable tourism, maximising the benefits of investment and improving public and private collaboration.
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As if building on the ‘Africa Brand’, the Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar is readying itself for the 15th Sauti za Busara music festival that shall be held in Stone Town, the UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site.
“The festival will kick off with a special flash mob led by Haba na Haba contemporary dance troupe from Dar es Salaam. This will be followed by the highly anticipated Carnival Parade, stopping the traffic along its 2km route to Stone Town,” says DJ Yusuf Mahmoud, the director of the festival.“On three stages over four days, the festival promises 46 performances, 100% live, including 20 groups from Tanzania and more from South Africa, Zimbabwe, DRC, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Egypt, Sudan, the Gambia, Reunion, Norway, Denmark and Switzerland.”
The Indian Ocean’s music and dance shall give way to DISCOP Dubai in the United Arab Emirates that shall focus on TV content market in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, February 25 – 27, 2018.
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Maasai Mara Game Reserve that was declared a natural wonder of the modern world, shall bring together lovers of African traditional and contemporary dance between February 26 and March 10, 2018 for an event titled Safari in the Park. The workshop in Kenya’s Narok County shall be facilitated by Kenyan dancer and choreographer Fernando Anuang’a who says it is ‘open to all level of dancers interested in African dance and an introduction to contemporary African dance’.
Returning to the palm-fringed shores of Lake Malawi in the warm heart of southern Africa for its 15th anniversary is Lake of Stars Festival that is deemed as one of Africa’s leading music and arts festivals.
Over the years, the organisers say, Lake of Stars Festival has attracted talent from UK bands such as the Foals, Maccabees and Young Fathers through to African legends like Oliver Mtukudzi of Zimbabwe and Mafikizolo of South Africa.
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The Lake of Stars project has run events and festivals in UK and Africa since 2003, showcasing artists from Malawi, across Africa and around the world. The festival has generated an estimated £1.3 million for Malawi’s economy each year.
This festival is scheduled for September 28-30, 2018 on the shores of Lake Malawi.