September 2008
Machakos proposed to host arts district
An arts district to be implemented under a Nairobi cultural strategy to enhance the creative economy’s contribution to the regional and national output. more >
June 2008
Cultural centres set to boost tourism growth countrywide
The government has launched an initiative to establish community cultural centres to promote national culture and place culture in a strategic position to play a leading role in tourist product diversification. more >
April 2008
Govt committed to addressing negative ethnicity
President Kibaki pointed out that the Government is creating a new department of national cohesion, which will be charged with the task of developing programmes for galvanising all the communities in the country. more >
March 2008
Appreciating Culture is Key to Cementing a Sense of Nationhood
A ministry solely dedicated to culture would contribute towards the creation of a unified identity founded on the celebration of diversity. more >
February 2008
Cultural tourism to be used in war on poverty
The development of cultural tourism will be emphasised as part of the Government’s poverty eradication programme. more >
Give peace a chance
A policy document drafted recently makes recommendations on public support of music and looks at the structure of the Ministry of Culture, which is 'overloaded' by its multiple functions of promoting arts, culture, sports and gender issues. more >
December 2007
Art for art’s sake?
HIV/Aids has been a curse in more ways than one: it has dominated the funding of the arts to such an extent that unless you can show you are doing something connected with this wretched disease, you don’t get a cent. more >
Africa: You're Poor Stay Home
Several major European cultural exchange organisations and FreeMuse have launched a major initiative to lobby European governments to ease visa and work permits for musicians from developing countries. more >
November 2007
Welcome Shot in the Arm for Local Theatre Groups
Kenya Theatre's financial migraine is gradually becoming a thing of the past, with groups now receiving grants from an institute funded by Sida aimed at raising the standards of Kenyan theatre. more >
June 2007
Finally, Musicians to Earn More for Their Sweat
The fortunes of local musicians are soon to change for the better as they will now be paid when their songs are played in public places. more >
May 2007
Tunes That Pay
Just as the rapid growth of piracy and illegal online downloading appeared to be strangling the music industry, a share rise in publishing has thrown a vital lifeline to the recording industry. more >
April 2007
Global Conference Tackles Kenyan Arts
Kenyan literature and culture was the subject of various panels at this year's African Literature Association. more >
March 2007
Kenya Drawing Up Patent List
Kenya has began drawing a list of artefacts it wants patented by a United Nations agency to ward off increased intellectual piracy from the developed world. more >
February 2007
Country Dances to Dar's Tune
Officials of Kenya's presidential Music Commission are currently studying Tanzania's music policy in the hope of incorporating sections of it in a final draft of a proposed policy of its own. more >
December 2006
Museums Are No Longer Stores for the Mysterious
The concept of museums belonging to dark archives in the same realm as colonialism, Nazism, racial bigotry and the likes has long been overtaken by events. more >
November 2006
Deconstructing Culture in Africa
It is easy to forget that culture is ever evolving and we are what we are today. more >
October 2006
Kenya Won't Grow On Song And Dance
Culture - what anthropologists call a people's way of life - is not something that serious Kenyans want to spend too much time on, beyond the entertainment it provides. more >
September 2006
Museum handbook translated for Portuguese African countries
Professionalizing museums in the Lusofone countries of Africa was the objective of the work conference organised in Nairobi in late August. more >
Call for Papers
ICOM-ICTOP, the International Committee for the Training of Personnel, is holding its Annual Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, from 8-10 October 2006 more >
Kenya bishop leads anti-evolution fight
The world's most important collection of human fossils may soon be hidden from public view - if religious leaders get their way. more >
July 2006
Call To Protect Cultural Items
Swahili scholars are concerned by the disappearance of manuscripts containing important cultural and literary content from the Kenyan Coast. more >
January 2006
Drive to Join Top Heritage List
Campaigns to have Mombasa Old Town and Fort Jesus listed as World Heritage Sites gathered momentum yesterday. But it emerged that there were no clear laws for the conservation of historic sites, despite the fact that if the campaigns succeed, tourism at the Coast would triple. more >
December 2005
It is time for Africa to search for its soul
The fifth session of the Ministers of Culture Conference kicked off on Tuesday this week at Kenyatta International Conference Centre bringing together members around Africa. more >
1st Confucius Institute for Africa launched in Nairobi
Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, the first of such nonprofit school specializing in Chinese language education and culture communication in Africa, was officially launched on Monday. more >
African Culture Ministers Meet Today in Kenya
Angola attends as from this Wednesday in Nairobi, Kenya, the meeting of African Ministers of Culture, under the motto "African Renaissance, Culture and Integration", with a delegation led by the deputy minister of Culture Virglio Coelho. more >
March 2005
Restructuring and repair of Kenyan museums underway
A major restructuring and refurbishing programme at the National Museums of Kenya is on course, National Heritage Minister Najib Balala said yesterday. more >
January 2005
French to aid Cultural Centre
French Ambassador Hubert Fournier yesterday announced a merger between the French Cultural Centre and the Alliance Francaise in Nairobi. The merger, he said, is aimed at providing better services to the public. Fournier was speaking at the French Cultural Centre, which has been spearheading cultural activities. more >
April 2004
Nairobi To Host Cultural Show
Nairobi is about to play host to the largest cultural show in East Africa in recent times. more >
January 2004
Interview: 40 Years Late, Kenya Now Has a Cultural Policy
The Kenya government has in the past been accused of neglecting culture and relegating it to the bottom of its priorities. However, there have been some positive and welcome trends by the new government and the public is largely optimistic that something tangible is finally being done to address the failures of the past. more >
Kenyan to head writers' forum
Kenyan actress Mumbi Kaigwa has been elected president of the worldwide organisation, Women Playwrights International 2003-2006. more >
October 2003
First cultural event for Endorois
The Endorois of Baringo District in Kenya held their first cultural day on Friday. The occasion was witnessed by Assistant Minister Alicen Chelaite. more >
August 2003
First national gallery to be established by November
Kenya's Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services Secretary, Nancy Kirui, has announced plans are underway to set up Kenya's first national gallery before November. more >
A festival of Kenyan culture through music
Once again, Nairobi is hosting the Kenya Music Festival. The ten-day event is the largest of its kind in East and Central Africa and is intended as a showcase of Kenya's rich cultural heritage. more >
New freedoms awaken Kenyan culture
A small storm is brewing over Kenya's dress code - just one example of a flowering of indigenous cultural expression that's been given fresh impetus by the new government. more >
July 2003
Oppressive cultural practices targeted
All cultural practices that oppress women will be reviewed, an Assistant Minister for Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services, Alicen Chelaite, in Nairobi, Kenya, has said. more >
May 2003
At last, Kenya moves to stem flight of cultural heritage
Recent media reports about attempts to ship to the United Kingdom a rare art collection belonging to Kenya's second vice-president, the late Joseph Murumbi, have rekindled calls by conservationists and art lovers for the government to pursue the repatriation of cultural artefacts that have been shipped to Europe and the United States over the years. more >
November 2002
Equipping artisans with marketing skills
Jua Kali artisans face challenges ranging from unfair competition from imports, lack of market access, lack of appropriate regulations and technology yet the sector contributes about 90 per cent of all new jobs. more >
October 2002
Standa stresses reading culture
A renowned poet, Prof Everett Standa, has urged libraries to make available a variety of books and other reading materials to help improve the reading culture in Kenya. more >
Loss of artefacts may diminish role of museums
There is growing concern over the steady loss of priceless materials from Kenya's national museums and archives.The risk of the museums becoming irrelevant research institutions is high as the loss of the artefacts is likely to cause gaps in history and archaeology. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >