Islands are magical. The whole concept of a piece of land floating on water, smack in the middle, is something to be in awe of. What’s even more interesting, is human beings living on this land. Loving, moving, going about their day to day activities. This is what makes Rusinga, an island that is the African Summer’s dream, a most unique place to be in. This is also probably why Rusinga Festival is so popular, not just with the locals, but people who live as far as other continents too.
The festival, founded by Anne Eboso, is mainly aimed at preserving the Abasuba culture, everything from their food, dance, clothing and art. The Abasuba community mostly occupies Rusinga and Mfangano Islands. The community is slowly fading away and melting into the Luo community thanks to intermarriage and assimilation too.
However, the festival ends up doing way more than that, because it has opened up a portal for the island to the outside world, enabling them to interact and find out how other people live. An interesting observation is noting how, for example, the KCPE and KCSE results of students on the island has gone up since the festival began. Open up a child’s eyes and ears, and you open up their minds too.
The 8th edition of the festival this year was a two-day occurrence, happening on the 19th and 20th of December 2019, under the theme ‘Celebrating Cultural Diversity’. It happened at the Kamasengre Primary School, deep in the heart of the Island.
The first day, much like a lot of other events that span over 24 hours, took off slowly. There were individual vendors selling anything from African food and attire, to sponsor stands that were more than willing to give information to people about Rusinga, and other tourist attraction sites in Kenya, including those of other islands on the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria.
Storytelling sessions for children, a reading by Biko Zulu from his book ‘Drunk’ by the lakeside. There were also various dances from different troupes, where we got to hear the amazing vocal ranges of Abasuba soloists, and the flexible bodies of the dancers using bottle caps, skin drums, maize cobs, and sisal to create a wholesome sound. Groups of young people also came in with modern dances, which was a bit symbolic to the old and new ways coming together in unison.
Day two was to start off with a trip around Ruma National Park, which is known worldwide as the ‘Last Retreat of the Roan Antelope’. However, the trip did not happen, despite the fact that people showed up at seven am for it, and ended up waiting for 4 hours. There was also no explanation provided, which was a bit of a downer early in the morning.
The morning hours of the festival were mostly for setting up, and for different groups to get their acts prepared. At around noon, a procession made its way from the school field to Kamasengre Beach for the boat race. The procession was led by the traditional Abasuba dancers who danced, sang, and basically got people psyched up for the races. When they got to the waters, they cheered for the teams taking part in the races and held mock fights in the water.
The races started with the women’s team first, followed by the men’s team, with the winners receiving cash prizes. Rowing a boat on normal occasions is enough arm day to last you a while, so imagine doing it in a competition setting, and in a lake with waves and whatnot. We will constantly marvel at the lengths that the human body can go to.
The one thing about the races however, that could be worked on during the next editions, is the picking of the beach. Kamasengre is relatively small, so a lot of people could not clearly see the action happening in the waters. There are other beaches that have longer stretches of land, such as Misenye, which is not too far from the primary school, and would have given a lot of people a much clearer view.
Afterwards, people made their way back to the field for a host of other activities. There was a tug of war for both men and women, a cat walking and modelling completion where Mr. and Miss Rusinga were crowned, more mock fights, and dances too.
The festival lived up to its promise of being a celebration, because it was a good mood the whole time through. #TheIslandRemembers, which is its main slogan, meant to connect the island to the rest of the world. In symbolic terms, Mbita bridge lives up to this slogan.
Rusinga Festival is most definitely something to put on your Kenyan bucket list, and the good thing is, we know it will get better with each edition. But you really do not have to wait for the festival to come to the island, get on the next Easy Coach and come have fun by the lakeside!
Culture is one of the most important aspects of our lives, it is the very root of us, where our souls and bodies belong, what our characters call home, since it shapes us into the beings that we grow up to be. Preserving it, especially African culture, which is so rich, both in skin and tradition, is extremely important. This is the cradle of mankind, the source of the river that is life. Communities like the Abasuba being endangered is a threat to all of us, which is why initiatives like Rusinga Fest are so important. Using music, dance, food, art and crafts, dressing, language, sports, literature and film to keep it alive. To get people aware. To make people remember.
Rusinga is magic. And so are the other islands on the lake, like Mfangano, Takawiri, Ngodhe, Ruodhi and others. The beaches with their black exfoliating sand, boats rocking up and down the waves, the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises that shine a golden glow over the waters, gentle breezes as you move around on a bike, large catches of fish and omena. You’ll close your eyes at night and see the lake, and you’ll want to hold that moment in a bubble, a precious little pause in a pocket of air that you will hold forever.
Pictures by Ronny Onkeo