Kenya

Dancers from Kakamega County enliven the Festival and the National Mall.

Photo by Josh Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Dancers from Kakamega County delight visitors with their energy and spirit.

Photo by Bea Ugolini, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

A dancer from Kakamega County shows off some of his adornments.

Photo by Walter Larrimore, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Dancers from Kakamega County give a lively performance on the dance floor of the Ngoma Stage venue.

Photo by Bea Ugolini, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Kakamega County in western Kenya is home to many of the Luhya people, the second largest ethnic group in the country. The Kakamega County Dancers represented Luhya cultural traditions through their energetic dances, crowd-stirring processions, and brightly colored grass skirts.

The group often performed the Isukuti dance, common in childbirth, initiation, marriage, and funeral rituals, plus sports events and religious festivities. In 2014, the dance was added to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, classified in need of urgent safeguarding, and the young Kakamega County Dancers are working to revive the tradition.

Verah Mbaisi Inganji
Hosea Opalah Matati
Mourice Lukale Mbwabi
Patrick Juma Kisiangani
Bob Agini
Douglas Mukhwana
Winfred Shikomele Namundera
Lydia Isalikho Munanga
Denis Witindi Ashihundu
Johnstone Khakavo Asutsi
Jamin Shitsukane Muliru