Smithsonian Folk Life Festival
The key objective of Kenya's participation at the smithsonian folklife festival in 2013 was to promote international market access for kenyan cultural goods and services as well as provide easier mobilty of artists in cultural exchanges. The opportunity for kenya to participate was by the organizers of the smithsonian folklife festival in 2014. The invitation was to the ministry of culture to participate at the 48th international smithsonian festival for the first time in history. The Fetival provided kenya with an international stand to showcase its unique cultursl expressions, market and disseminate information on the unique cultural expressions exhibited. The festival which attracts millions of visitors provided kenyan artists and entreprenuers an oppotunity to showcase their products and services to an international audience. Kenya was provided for an exhibition stand for showcasing various cultural products and services and a performace and demostration space. The kenyan stand attracted many visitors who purchaesd various cultural goods , enjoyed live performaces and tasted kenyan cuisine.Visitors to the kenyan stand were also educated about the unique cultural expressions showcased at the festival.
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival main feature is that its an international exposition of living cultural heritage annually produced outdoors on the National Mall of the United States in Washington, D.C., by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.The Festival which takes place for two weeks every summer overlapping the Fourth of July holiday is an educational presentation that features cultural exemplars. It is an international cultural exchange programme that showcases unique cultural expressions. It attracts millions of visitors. . The Kenya government facilitated several cultural groups and artists to participate in the Festival. Among the groups that participated were unique sculptors, weavers, chefs poets, musicians, dancers, designers, performing artists and visual artists crafts among others. Kenya Participants were provided for exhibition spaces by the festival organizers to showcase and demonstrate their uniques skills in creation of cultural expressions. The festival further provided unique marketing and cultural dialogue forum.
-Creation of new markets for kenyan cultural goods and services
-Creation of new networks between kenyan artists and international artists
-Enhancement of Cultural understanding between nations
-Economic Gains from sales made
- Skill transfer
-Vsibility of kenyan cultural expressions internationally
- Enjoyment of diverse cultural expressions
The governemnt of kenya in 2013 provide one hundred million kenya shillings an equivalent of about one million dollars to facilitate the kenyan artists and cultural experts and goverment official to particiapate in the smithsonian folklife festival.