The County Government of Mombasa is implementing a pottery project to promote, preserve and market the cultural heritage of the Jomvu community.
The Wajomvu community is a sub-tribe of the Swahili tribe, they are predominantly found along the coastline in Jomvu Kuu in Jomvu constituency and Maunguja in Kisauni constituency.
They are famously known for making pots using clay, the craft is passed from one generation to the other.
“The Wajomvu have practiced pottery for hundreds of years as cataloged in our history. However, over time due to the effects of the modernization of pottery, most of the young people have lost interest in the trade and skills involved,” said Mohamed Osman, CECM for Tourism, Culture, and Trade.
To mitigate this, Osman added the department together with other stakeholders is in the process of rethinking the project to reposition it in the face of emerging challenges.
Osman said they will look for ways to make pottery appealing to the youth and learn from the elderly women who are the knowledge holders.
The CECM lauded the establishment of youth-friendly cultural and art spaces like the Swahili Pot hub.
“These spaces have become a catalyst in the promotion and development of our cultural and creative talents. They have become the foundation of the commercialization of our cultural and creative industries,” he said.
He went on: “This has attracted interest from local and international organizations willing to fund viable ideas and startups in the culture and heritage sector.”
To ensure the commercialization of culture and the arts, the CEC said they have supported the formation of various cultural associations like the Mombasa Visual Networks.
Mombasa Cultural Dancers, he said, have already established a cultural village at the Mkomani Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) showground with more than ten Kenyan communities represented.
“They have built real-life homesteads with their traditional foods preparation demonstrations, dances, and oral narrations among other activities.
This has attracted visitors eager to experience authentic Kenyan traditions,” said CECM Osman adding that they are working with Kenya Coast Tourism Association (KCTA) to include the village as one of the must-visit tourist attraction sites.
“This will increase the earnings of the cultural practitioners who are mainly women as well as improve their economic well-being,” he said.
By Sadik Hassan
