By ZAHID RAJAN

The Samosa Festival, established in 2005 as the cultural arm of AwaaZ Magazine, is a cross-cultural festival. The samosa, a popular staple of Asian and African cuisine, much loved for the endless variety of tasty mixtures within it, was chosen as the name and symbol of the festival for its distinct triangular shape.

The three points of the samosa represent the Asian-African fusion of cultures to enhance ethnic relations and foster nationhood.

The festival uses all elements of culture — art, discussions, films, music, performance and theatre — to generate and promote interaction among Kenyans of all walks of life towards cohesion and integration.

This year, the seventh edition of the festival will take place on July 16-30 in and around the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi.

By holding the festival in Eastleigh, dubbed ‘Little Mogadishu’ for its large Somali population, Samosa hopes to move beyond the headlines and stereotypes and lift the lid on a culturally diverse and famously vibrant part of the city.

In Eastleigh, a global economic hub vital to the Kenyan economy, the festival will look at the many challenges facing its inhabitants through the lens of arts and culture, creating an environment for reflective dialogue and understanding.

Samosa will curate cultural, historical, academic and artistic events and workshops for the benefit of the community and civil society.

The festival aims to engage, educate, and illuminate the rich cultural traditions and aspirations of this marginalised and oft-misrepresented neighbourhood.

The official opening takes place on July 17, at the Pawa254 along State House Road, Nairobi, from 4pm.

For more details and calender of events, go to www.samosafestival.com.

Source: The Star