UK musicians set off on tour to promote Kenyan culture

The British Professional Euro-African Vocals flagged off in London.

Kenya’s tourism is set to turn a new page with the visit of a group of British musicians.

The British Professional Euro-African Vocals were flagged off in London by Kenya’s Acting High Commissioner to the UK Grace Cerere, and will be travelling under the banner of ‘How well do you know Kenya?’

“I am very pleased to welcome you to Kenya whose tourism has diversified. It is no longer about Maasai Mara or the coastal sand, there is a lot of material culture too,” said Ms Cerere.

The musicians’ campaign will start in earnest today when they perform at the Kenya National Music Festival in Nyeri. 

Vocalist Rob Hodkidson said they look forward to visiting Kenya as a great place for cultural tourism, gap destination and material culture.

“We have practised and rehearsed our songs and now glad that we have today picked our visas,” he said of the tour that will take two months. 

The other vocalists are Alice Williams, Nicole Sarah Gill, James Beard, Peter Hyams, Adam Biddlecombe and Jack Brewer.

‘How well do you know Kenya’ is a project of the Maasai Cultural Art founded by Diana Badia and started three years ago as a new model of marketing the country.

“It is an ambitious mega campaign project that aims to market Kenya cultural tourism, gap year and material culture. It involves young cultural ambassadors travelling from Kenya to the UK on a cultural tour to promote (the country),” said Ms Badia.

Pupils performing on day 4 of the annual Kenya Music Festival at the Dedan Kimathi University Nyeri. [George Orido, Standard]

The campaign aims to invite the world to visit Kenya’s live culture and showcase the country’s cultural diversity as a tourism destination.

While the group will perform at the annual national music festival in Nyeri, they are also expected to meet officials in the Culture, Education and Tourism ministries.

They plan to meet with the Permanent Presidential Music Commission as well as Nairobi and Homa Bay counties. They also hope to meet with the British High Commissioner and the British Council.

Badia said the music festival is a great platform for the British vocalists as it provides all the music genres across Kenya. The festival attracts close to 1.7 million people in viewership.

With all the support and efforts into this maiden trip, she said, the Kenya Music Festival is the pedestal for inviting the world to see her heritage.