Photo courtesy of Mothers Fighting For Others, Creative Commons
"Alone a youth runs fast, with an elder slow, but together they go far." —Kenyan proverb
In addition to the tradition bearers and artisans featured, the Folklife Festival celebrated the Kenyan diaspora, who carry its stories, songs, and flavors around the globe. Kenya House was a place for members of the diaspora community to meet, share stories and messages, and even go for a run with Olympic marathon runners.
From the Festival
A resident of Maryland since the late 1990s, Samba Mapangala took over the Ngoma Stage to celebrate Diaspora Day, performing for an enthusiastic audience made up of members of the Kenyan diaspora and others.
Photo by Brian Barger, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Samba Mapangala performs a mix of rumba and Congolese soukous music, but in a Kenyan style.
Photo by Brian Barger, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Students from the Elimu Tutoring and Training Center, a summer camp that serves the Kenyan community in Baltimore, Maryland, visit the Kenya: Mambo Poa program and pose with a participant from the Maasai community.
Photo by Francisco Guerra, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
At the Karibuni Stage, Erikson Young (left) and Allen Neece, two deaf Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who taught in Kenya and now live in the Washington, D.C., area, talk about their experiences learning Kenyan Sign Language, teaching deaf students, and interacting with deaf communities in Kenya.
Photo by Michelle Arbeit, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
