ODM leader Raila Odinga will today launch the fifth edition of the World Blacks and Africans Festival of Arts and Culture in Kisumu.
The grand event will take place at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo ,with Raila as the chief guest.
Al least 7,000 participants from 50 countries in Africa and around the world are expected at the festival that runs from August 25 to September 1.
Celebrated band, Les Wanyika, is expected to perform at the opening ceremonyof the event which will showcase a rich tapestry of arts and culture.
Governor Anyang Nyong’o, said workers were already on site to pitch the tents and set up the stage.
"Get ready for an amazing time starting this Monday", Nyong’o said.
Held for the first time in Dakar Senegal in 1966, the festival celebrates African heritage and sustainable growth, serving as a convergence point for diverse cultures and industries.
Event aims to celebrate the continent’s uniqueness and identity while promoting intra- Africa trade and creating a networking business platform across the world.
Nyong’o said the county has instituted adequate structures and measures to ensure the event succeeds, adding that preparations for the conference and meeting venues have been finalised.
“I would like to tell the world that Kisumu is ready to host Festac Africa 2024. The venues are ready. Security has been tightened. Kisumu is just waiting for the delegates.”
The main venue for the event is Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium with participants expected to have 18 conference sessions.
Other events will include 20 sporting activities, different kinds of dances, music, poetry, drama, culinary arts and tourism where visitors will sample some of the key attraction sites within the Lakeside city and the Lake Region Economic Bloc.
The event has so far attracted 200 keynote speakers, 100 performing artistes and 150 exhibitors drawn from different parts of the continent.
Nyong'o said it is high time Kisumu shone and proved to the world that Festac is still alive.
“Just like in 2022 when we became the first intermediary city to successfully host the Africities Summit, Kisumu will never be the same again after Festac.”
The governor said they have witnessed a massive increase in investments after Africities.
He said there has been a tourism boom and local and international conferences have increased.
The county was poised to host the event from May 20 to 26 but was postponed due to floods.
Nyong’o called on Kenyans to turn up in large numbers for the celebrations.
“As the chairman of the Lake Region Economic Block, I want to appeal to residents and business people to come experience the fun,” he said.
Festac Africa chairman Yinka Abioye, said the festival will provide the people from the different countries with an opportunity to trade, network and exchange culture and values.
He said various programmes, including theatre and movies, have been lined up for children to teach them about the continent.
