Lamu Cultural Festival
Many of the world’s destinations loudly boast an opportunity for the traveller to “enter another world”. Off the shores of Northern Kenya, the island of Lamu offers this experience in its purest form.

Arrival at Lamu is something of an experience itself. Most travellers arrive by air, soaring low across the rich blue waters of this tropical archipelago to land on the strip of Manda Island- Lamu’s closest neighbour.

The streets of Lamu are never much more than eight feet wide. This means that there are few vehicles to be found here. The traditional Islamic dress in Lamu remains the kanzu (robe) and kofia (embroidered hat) for men and full length bui bui for women, both ideal for staying cool in the heat.

In Lamu, everybody walks, or rides a donkey. These creatures are a ubiquitous symbol of Lamu. They spend their days wandering among the narrow streets, or working on the seafront, ferrying cargo to and from arriving dhows.

Lamu’s Swahili culture was distilled by the local Bajun people. The Bajun are an indigenous tribal group, centred around the Lamu archipelago, whose origins and history have become blurred with the Swahili to the extent that one of their sub-clans, the Shiradhi claim to be direct descendants of Shirazi Arabs. Their language was the genesis of Kiamu, a Swahili dialect that is the true language of Lamu.

There is an excellent Museum in Lamu town with good exhibits on Swahili culture in general and Lamu culture in particular. The labyrinthine streets of Lamu town itself are a historical attraction in themselves.
These narrow streets are all built upwards along a gentle slope, letting the rains wash the town clean. The Old Town was once declared a World Heritage site, and exploring the town on foot is a wonderful way to soak up the atmosphere of the living, breathing history of Lamu.

Each year, Lamu comes to life during the annual Lamu Cultural Festival. Several competitions and races are staged during this week long festival. These events are designed to each encourage local skills or practices that are central to Lamu life.
These include traditional Swahili poetry, Henna painting, Bao competition… Bao is probably the oldest known game in human history, with archaeological evidence suggesting that the game has been played throughout Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years.

In order to preserve and encourage the art of dhow sailing, now threatened by increasing availability of engines and prefabricated boats, a dhow race is also held. The town’s finest dhows are selected to compete, and race under sail through a complicated series of buoys, combining speed with elaborate tacking and maneuvering skill.

Other events include swimming, and at times a challenging cross country race along the waterfront, all the way to Shela village and back- all in the physically draining heat of the day.

The real highlight of every festival involves the town’s most endearing symbol- the donkey race. Local donkey jockeys literally spend the entire year honing their riding skills for this event, and the winning rider wears his title with great pride.

Being a winning donkey jockey requires a specific set of skills. As with most such races, small physical stature is helpful, but keeping a stubborn donkey moving and on course requires a definite talent.

Lamu Cultural Festival is a celebration of both the past and the future, and the beliefs and traditions that are the heart and soul of this community. Most visitors to the island fall in love with this relaxed and peaceful lifestyle, and visiting during the Lamu Cultural Festival is a chance to experience Lamu life at its most exuberant and joyous.

This year’s event takes place from 28th to 30th November, 2008
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