Tradition and Modernity blends as the Turkana cultural festival starts

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He said the cultural festival offers an opportunity to participants to appreciate, showcase and maintain their culture for posterity. “Our African culture is steadily being eroded by westernisation and such cultural showpiece allows the young people to learn and maintain their heritage,” said the old man from Loima. About 30 cultural groups will perform at the jamboree where The Standard Group PLC is the official media partner. Emily Losekon also said the festival helps the youths to learn and maintain their culture. “The festival offers the participants a platform to interact and integrate to bring the much-needed peace for development in the region. It also leads to opening up the region as an investment hub since the potential has been lying untapped for decades” she said. Making profits She hailed the cultural festival for turning around the narrative about the region known for insecurity. The County Director of Trade and Investments James Lokwale said over 10,000 participants, including domestic and foreign delegates, translate into an expanded customer base for traders in Turkana during the four-day event. “This will obviously be a socio-economic boost to the county’s trade and tourism sectors. By the time the festival ends, every single sector here is normally thriving with everyone making profits they would never have dreamt of,” said Mr Lokwale. He said hotels and accommodation facilities, including home stays, have recorded full bookings, with all the five airlines plying Nairobi-Eldoret-Lodwar route fully booked since last week. “The groceries, cereals and grain outlets have increased their supply stocks in anticipation of a business boom. At the Lodwar sale yard, livestock traders are doing brisk business selling goats to households and hoteliers in preparation to serve 'topeètokon', a popular delicacy in Turkana,” he stated.Do not miss out on the latest news. Join the Standard Digital Telegram channel HERE.