Category: Entertainment

Over a dozen artists in Seychelles have explored the many possibilities that lie in the grey area in a newly opened photography and digital media exhibition being displayed at Kenwyn House in Victoria, the capital.

With an even balance between photographers and digital artists, female and male, emerging and established, 17 artists have come together to showcase over 40 art pieces in an exhibition themed “Between the Lines” that is open until August 12.

Karyn Zialor, the curator, said that the exhibition was launched in January, with the aim of attracting photographers and digital artists. Speaking about the theme she chose for the exhibition, she shared that no additional information was provided about it as she wanted to see how the artists interpret it.

“From that, we ended up with a wide array of work from different artists. When you walk through this exhibition, you see different stories and ideas from the artists,” said Zialor.

“There is a stigma around digital artists, and we need to realise that art is further than painting, photography, sculptor. We need to expand to include digital artists and from that, we will get a more rounded art space in Seychelles,” said Zialor.

Talking about her artwork, Vanessa Lucas, one of the participating photographers, outlined that her piece centres around child abuse.

Lucas with her piece which centres on child abuse. (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

“As the theme is ‘Between the Lines’, I wanted to portray how children should have the freedom to be children. The piece is about child abuse – children who are neglected and not loved by their parents, grow up amidst alcoholism, or are beaten. I want anyone who stops by my artwork to interpret it in their own way because it is all about the emotion it evokes,” said Lucas.

The black and white photograph of a boy sitting on a windowsill of a ruin, head bent to his knees and with bottles, and rope at his feet was shot in 2017 and has never been showcased.

Two other participating artists, Marquise and Rico Padayachy, stated that their interest to join the exhibition is founded on an upcoming project they are working on.

“This year, we are investing in and coming forth with ‘Kartoon Seselwa’ [Seychellois Cartoon], which is a new venture for us. This piece was supposed to be an animation but due to time constraints, we made a still instead. This is not just digital art, but also a taste of what we will be coming forth within the near future,” said Rico.

“The artwork is made of mixed media – the background was drawn using watercolors and crayons and the guy in the middle is digital art. The art piece is about expression, expression through music, especially where words are not always enough,” said Marquise.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Celebrations to mark World Swahili Language Day that kicked off in Mombasa on July 7-9 concluded successfully at the weekend amid much fanfare.

The ambitious second Swahili festival ran under the auspices of ‘Swahili for Peace, Cohesion and Integration’.

The three-day festival to celebrate the Swahili language, culture, calligraphy and heritage in the coastal city organized by the National Museums of Kenya was hailed as a success by stakeholders.

In recognition of Swahili’s vital role in promoting cultural diversity and fostering dialogue, the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO in 2021 proclaimed July 7 of each year as World Kiswahili Day.

Swahili is among the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 200 million speakers mostly in Africa and the Middle East.

Swahili is the first African language to be recognized in such a manner by the UN and calls were made for the people to embrace the beauty of Kiswahili and celebrate its shared heritage.

Kiswahili is a Bantu language with Arabic influences dating from the contacts of Arabian traders with the inhabitants of the East Coast of Africa over the centuries.

The festival attracted local and international tourists, celebrated Swahili arts, cuisine, handicrafts, henna paintings, poetry, music and literature.

The events held at Fort Jesus, Swahili Pot Hub and Mama Ngina Waterfront Park were officially opened by the Cabinet Secretary for Wildlife, Tourism and Cultural Heritage Peninah Malonza.

CS Malonza said the language festival is expected to help in the long run in reviving the treasured Swahili culture, cuisine, arts and crafts for posterity.

Stakeholders contend that the annual Swahili language festival dedicated to celebrating and preserving the Swahili culture would further enhance Mombasa’s holiday reputation among the domestic and international visitors who flock the coastal city during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

At the close of the festival on Sunday, Swahili Heritage Training Institute Coordinator Khalid Kitito estimated that about 50,000 domestic and foreign visitors thronged Mombasa for the festival.

‘The three-day festival that brought together Swahili speakers and enthusiasts was incident-free and safe and was enjoyed by all who attended it,’ he said during an interview with KNA.

He went on, ‘the turnout was splendid as visitors from all cultural backgrounds experienced the beauty of the Swahili language, culture, heritage, architecture and cuisine.’

Kitito says the festival provided an opportunity for Swahili speakers and enthusiasts to come together to network and celebrate their shared love for the language and culture.

He said he was happy to see people from different backgrounds participate at the festival, contending that the ceremony offered tourists the opportunity to explore the Kenyan coast and discover what makes it tick.

‘This annual Swahili event will go a long way in sustaining the unique cultural heritage of the coastal communities,’ he said, calling for accelerated use of the language.

Kitito, an expert in Swahili culture, says the annual festival is not only useful for promoting tourism but also for bringing integration among diverse communities in Kenya and beyond.

A cultural enthusiast Ms. Amira Msalem said the Swahili food on display included pilau, samosa, mandazi, mishikaki, samaki wa kupaka among other delicious dishes.

On the henna paintings, Msalem says it is very common in the Swahili culture for women especially to use henna for different ceremonies like weddings.

Chairman of the Swahili Development Initiative Alawy Abzein says the original dialects of Kiswahili are fast getting lost and the festival was a good way of reclaiming and reviving them.

He says Swahili culture is a fusion of influence from Arabia, Persia and India which came during the Indian Ocean Trade when Arabs, Persians and Indians would sail across the Indian Ocean to the East Coast of Africa for trading purposes.

Abzein says there are three important dialects of Kiunguja, spoken in Zanzibar and in the mainland areas of Tanzania; Kimvita, spoken in Mombasa and other areas of Kenya; and Kiamu, spoken on the Island of Lamu.

‘The Swahili festival created a sense of unity and brotherhood among Kenyans of different cultures as they come together to celebrate the time tested Swahili heritage and traditions,’ said Abzein.

He says the Swahili people are found along the coasts of Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia and Mozambique.

He says deliberate efforts should be made to promote Swahili language which he noted is now spoken and taught in many African countries.

Source: Kenya News Agency

A total of 22,000 words from the Seychellois Creole language now feature in the newly launched monolingual dictionary, the first dictionary of its kind published by the Seychelles Creole Academy (SCA).

The dictionary is the culmination of 14 years of work and is described as both a historic and symbolic effort.

Seychellois Creole is the French-based Creole language spoken by the people of Seychelles. Creole, English and French are the three official national languages of the island nation in the western Indian Ocean.

Before the launch of the monolingual Creole dictionary, in 2017, the “Diksyonner Trileng – Kreol Seselwa, Français, English” [The Trilingual Dictionary – Seychellois Creole, French, English] was published by Collette Gillieaux, after 19 years of research. Prior to that a Creole-French dictionary, written by the late Danielle de St Jorre and the late Guy Lionnet, was used.

The monolingual dictionary is the end product of a 15-member committee, passionate about the Creole language. The committee did extensive research work on all three main islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue and consulted different groups of the community such as senior citizens, farmers, and fishers.

The senior researcher for language development at the SCA, Erica Fanchette, recounted in a recent programme on national broadcaster – Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation TV – how working on the dictionary was a labour of love, with many challenges but the end product is a national pride.

Fanchette explained that before the actual work of word definition started the technical committee did a lot of background and preparatory work involving consultations of other dictionaries.

“The Creole language has its own specifications that other languages do not have so it took us some time. Also, you tend to think that Creole is an inferior language but it is not. It is very rich in vocabulary, and this can be seen in the 22,000 words defined in the dictionary,” said Fanchette.

The secretary general of the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (SNICHA), David Andre highlighted the crucial importance of the dictionary, not only as a linguistic tool to improve vocabulary, to conduct research, or verify spellings and word meanings.

“It is more than that. It helps to reinforce the transmission and preservation of the cultural know-how and knowledge, spreading culture and linguistics on the same level as English and French within our trilingual context,” he said.

Andre also commended the work of the committee, which he described as a “team with multiple skills and knowledge.”

The work of the committee does not end with the launch of this first monologue dictionary.

According to Fanchette due to the dynamism and constant evolution of the Creole language, the committee will soon start to work on the dictionary’s next edition.

“Every day new words are added, so next year we will begin to rearrange our data bank to add new words that different ministries have added, meaning we will review the dictionary again in three years,” explained Fanchette.

She added that in the medical field, there are introductions of many new words, introduced especially during the COVID pandemic.

The realisation and publication of the dictionary were done through a project funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at a cost of $31,000.

The secretary-general of the UNESCO National Commission for Seychelles, Vicky Michel, said that UNESCO supported the project, as it aligns with their cultural programme, mandated to promote mother tongues.

Michel added that Seychelles now has a reference document that can be used by teachers, students, researchers and even tourists to learn and speak the Seychellois Creole.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

All roads lead to Kisumu City this weekend for the opening leg of the 2023 National Sevens Circuit Dala Sevens.

Over 700 players from top rugby clubs are expected to participate in the tournament hosted by Kisumu Rugby Football Club at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo and Kisumu National Polytechnic grounds.

ICT and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo is expected Saturday to officially open the tournament which has attracted 40 teams.

Division one which is the highlight of the tournament has 16 teams while division two has 24 teams.

In the Division one draws released by Kenya Rugby Union on Tuesday, National Sevens Circuit Champions Menengai Oilers are in Pool A alongside rivals Nakuru, Nondescripts and Catholic Monks.

Last season’s runners-up KCB are favourites in Pool B alongside Harlequins, Masinde Muliro University and Mombasa RFC.

Hosts Kisumu RFC are in Pool C which also features Strathmore Leos, Kabras Sugar and Daystar Falcons.

The teams will battle out for glory in the tournament which is renowned for its thrilling rugby action since 2003.

Dala Sevens Tournament Director Erick Ondieki said preparations have been finalised urging rugby fans to turn up in large numbers to experience top notch rugby.

VIP tickets, he said, were going at Sh. 1, 000 and regular tickets at Sh. 500 adding that various sponsors have come on board to make the tournament a success.

Among them is East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL) which has announced a Sh 2 million sponsorship, Nightingale Hospital, Multichoice, Pinecone Hotel, Kisumu Specialists Hospital and W-Fresh water.

Stringent measures, he added, have been put in place to guarantee safety of players and spectators ahead of the tournament which kicks off on Friday.

Ondieki who doubles up as the treasurer of hosts Kisumu RFC said the team has been bolstered and was well prepared to take on competitors.

‘The boys have prepared well. We have been promoted back to the Kenya cup which is a familiar ground for us having played against our competitors in the pool Kabras Sugar, Daystar Falcons and Strathmore,’ he said.

Scouts from the Kenya National Rugby Sevens Team-Shujaa, he disclosed will be at the tournament to scout for talent.

‘We hope to get one of two players from Kisumu RFC to join the national team,’ he said.

Kisumu RFC senior player Charles Odhiambo said the recent friendly matches against Kabras Sugar and MMUSt have sharpened the boys focus and are going all out to bring the title home.

‘We have a good combination of coaches who have done a good job. The boys are prepared and ready,’ he said.

The team added targets to win the first three matches day one to book a spot in the quarter finals.

Dala Sevens has become the highlight of the National Sevens Circuit which was established in 1999.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Kenya Film Corporation will establish a hub in Nyandarua County to enable youths from the area to exploit their talents in film creativity.

KFC Chief Executive Officer Timothy Owase has urged the County government to collaborate with the Corporation to set up the hub as soon as possible.

He said the Corporation has a film funding programme and urged 50 youths from the County, who underwent a week-long training on film production, to form vibrant groups that can benefit from the funding.

Mr. Owase was speaking in Ol Kalou on Saturday when the trained youths, drawn from across Nyandarua, received their certificates.

‘My key message to all participants is to form an organized group and possibly register a company that can be supported in a very organized manner,’ Owase said.

He added that KFC has programmes geared towards supporting youths in storytelling and advised the youths to be on the lookout and apply whenever the corporation sends out calls for film funding.

Joseph Muragu, speaking on behalf of the youth, said the skills they have learned will help them exploit the contents that are abundant in Nyandarua to put the County on the film industry map.

Terming the film industry as a multibillion-shilling business, Paul Ochuki, the Assistant County Commissioner from the County Commissioner’s office, challenged the youth to exploit the filmmaking skills they learned to earn a living.

‘There is much to gain in the film industry, and some actors are earning much more money than even presidents,’ Ochuki said.

Deputy Governor Mwangi Mathara, who was the chief guest during the closing ceremony, challenged the trained youth to think of recreating the Mau Mau war film, saying Nyandarua was the epicenter of the freedom struggle in the Central Kenya region.

The training, which attracted young people from Nyandarua’s five sub-counties, is aimed at equipping the participants with basic filmmaking skills in line with Governor Moses Badilisha Kiarie’s transformative youth agenda.

Source: Kenya News Agency