Thousands of residents and merrymakers are thronging the Mama Ngina Water Front to witness the third Firi cultural festival and business expo, where the Somali community showcases their cultural heritage.
Ahmed Mohamed, Organizer of the two-day festival, says Mombasa was chosen because of its richness in culture and tourism and as a gateway to East Africa.
“Firi festival and business expo are about bringing the Somali culture to the rest of Kenya. As a community, we are greatly involved in enterprises within Kenya and beyond. Our richness is our diversity,” stated Mohamed.
The idea behind the event, he noted is to promote co-existence and harmony between communities living in the cosmopolitan Port City.
“There is fear of the unknown. Some communities do not know what Somali culture entails they only see the negative connotations associated with the Somali people. We want to debunk and demystify those connotations and bring about the rich culture of the Somali community,” said the Organizer.
County Commissioner (CC) Mohamed Nur said the County has been blessed with a plethora of activities including the regional East African Community Parliamentary Games, conferences and cultural festivals.
“There has been no insecurity incident. We will continue to beef up the security to ensure there is maximum security for all visitors to enjoy their stay and to return to their homes safely. No one should worry, we have deployed many officers in hotels, beaches and streets,” assured the CC.
He called for cooperation between the Police and the residents to tame crime.
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia to Kenya Jabril Abdulle hailed the organizers for combining entrepreneurship and culture in the festival.
The platform, he stated, is important to present Somali culture and cuisine to Kenyans.
“This has been the culture of this beautiful city of Mombasa, where we have diverse cultures, people from different backgrounds and religions. There is a culture of integration,” said Abdulle.
The Ambassador was inspired by the active participation of young people in the festival and recommended the festival to be spread to other counties for Kenyans to experience the beautiful Somali culture.
“Kenya is a diverse country and learning from each other is quite enriching,” he said adding, that the festival is an avenue to debunk some of the stereotypes about Somali people.
“This is an opportunity to learn first-hand Somali’s rich culture, their spirit of entrepreneurship is well known throughout the world, and this allows Kenyans at large to fully appreciate and understand Somali culture,” explained Amb. Abdulle.
The entry of Somali in the EAC bloc he noted, will empower and enrich the people of East Africa collectively.
He urged the youths to learn their cultures and take risks to venture into business.
Mombasa Somali Association Chairman Abdul Bahaj said the overarching purpose is to bring people together and foster unity of Somali people from the North Eastern part of Kenya working and residing in the Port City.
Bahaj noted that Somalis are known worldwide as astute business persons and have plans to construct their own hospitals and schools to cater for the less fortunate in the community.
By Sadik Hassan
