The Mama Grace Onyango Cultural & Social Centre proudly presents the Pre-FESTAC Lake Region Creative and Blue Economy Public Youth Discourse for Secondary Schools. This initiative aims to foster a culture of debate, constructive engagement, and public speaking among young people, encouraging them to actively participate in environmental conservation, commercialization of their talents, leadership, and governance.
The Lake Region Creative and Blue Economy Public Youth Discourse for Secondary Schools emerges at a crucial time when the blue economy is gaining national and global attention as a vital component of economic growth. Creativity in the 21st century transcends mere expression and entertainment, becoming a significant income-generating profession and a key employment sector in Kenya and globally. The Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) boasts a youthful and energetic population with untapped creative potential, often limited to entertainment. This initiative seeks to shift the focus towards the commercialization of creative performing arts, handcrafted works, and visual arts. It will serve as a launch pad for discussions on the myriad commercial opportunities available for youth in the creative economy.
This contest aims to position LREB as a leading mentor for youth in the region, grooming them for leadership, commercial creativity, blue economy ventures, eco-tourism, sports tourism, and effective corporate governance. Secondary school students from the 14 member counties of LREB will participate, with each county presenting four schools: one boys’ school, one girls’ school, one mixed school, and one special school, each comprising 30 to 65 students.
The contest will also involve the Tourism County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) from all 14 member counties. These officials will discuss strategies to promote inter-county local tourism and position the counties as world-class tourist destinations, thereby generating more revenue for county governments. The outcomes of this conference will guide county governments within the bloc in initiating inter-county cultural exhibitions, expos, excursions, and festivals. The rich cultural diversity of the Lake Region Economic Bloc remains largely unexplored, and this initiative aims to unlock the economic potential of this diversity.
The LREB, with an estimated population of 15 million people (31.4% of Kenya’s population), presents both opportunities and challenges. Proper planning is essential to harness the benefits of a large population while mitigating environmental concerns such as resource pressure, pollution, and degradation. As the population continues to grow, it is crucial to involve young people in environmental conservation and the global climate change campaign. This public speaking contest will provide an open forum for secondary school students and county governments to generate and shape ideas, mechanisms, and messages for conserving rivers, hills, valleys, lakes, forests, and riverine vegetation within the bloc.
The conveners request LREB to sponsor the event and invite the governors of the 14 counties, along with the CECMs for Tourism, Culture, Arts, and Youth Affairs, to support the Youth Public Discourse in the Lake region. They propose inviting Prof. PLO Lumumba, the Africa Talent Envoy, as the chief guest.
Relevance to FESTAC Festival 2024 in Kisumu
The Lake Region Economic Bloc stands to gain significantly from hosting the 5th World Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in Kisumu from August 25 to September 1, 2024. The main venue will be the Mama Grace Onyango Cultural & Social Centre, with some activities at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Grounds. The best primary, secondary, and special schools will have the privilege of performing at this prestigious continental festival, which celebrates African culture, heritage, and history through art, tourism, commerce, and technology.
FESTAC Africa Festival aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and Vision 2030, providing a forum for cultural exchange, trade, and cultural renaissance. Rotating among African countries, the festival has previously been held in Dakar, Senegal (1966), Abuja, Nigeria (1977), Zanzibar (2022), and Arusha, Tanzania (2023). Kisumu’s hosting of the fifth edition will showcase the immense creativity of the region’s learners to a continental audience, enhancing cultural awareness and appreciation.
The Mama Grace Onyango Cultural and Social Centre, an accredited world talent center, houses an Anthropo-Biometric Talent Screening Machine. This machine scientifically forecasts children’s inherent abilities and talents up to thirty years in advance, providing valuable insights for parents to develop training and mentorship plans. The center will host the 24th Biennial World Talent Conference, dubbed The World Safari Conference, from August 25 to 29, 2025, attracting over 15,000 delegates and top world leaders. This marks the first time the conference will be held in Africa, positioning Kisumu as a global destination in August 2025.
The contest features twelve performance categories: parliamentary debate, spoken word, public lecture, panel discussion, poetry (in English, Kiswahili, indigenous languages, and Kenya Sign Language), etiquette (face-to-face and telephone communication), stand-up comedy, job and media interviews, press conferences/releases, newscasting, news reporting, and speech presentation (open and written).
Awards include certificates, trophies, medals, T-shirts, plaques, and cash prizes for the best schools and learners. The best secondary school overall will receive KSh 100,000, the second position KSh 75,000, the third position KSh 50,000, and the best special school KSh 50,000.
The contest will involve learners from senior secondary and special schools, judged by a panel comprising three judges from special needs schools, three from regular schools, and a chief judge experienced in national-level competitions.
The Lake Region Creative and Blue Economy Public Youth Discourse will unite secondary schools from all 14 counties of the Lake Region Economic Bloc, fostering leadership, creativity, and environmental stewardship among the youth. This initiative not only aims to nurture the talents of young people but also to position the Lake Region as a hub of cultural and economic dynamism, preparing the next generation for a sustainable and prosperous future.
Kisumu City News