Nakuru,
Thursday April 18, 2024
KNA by Veronica Bosibori
Efforts to boost Nakuru City’s creative sector are gaining momentum as the City works on designing programs to train and empower individuals on film and theatre production.
The initiative is being pursued collaboratively by the County Department of Tourism and Investment, Department of Youth and the Creative Sector according to the City Manager Mr. Gitau Thabanja.
Mr Thabanja said the City Management under his leadership focused on investing in the City’s untapped creative potential. Today, the City Manager convened a meeting with the sector’s key stakeholders to discuss various strategies to bring this initiative to fruition.
Among the proposals discussed is the integration of the Nakuru County Film Festival into the County’s cultural activities, as well as identifying and nurturing undiscovered creative talents in the region.
Mr Thabanja expressed enthusiasm for the initiative that he emphasized aligned with Governor Susan Kihika’s agenda of fostering a vibrant and empowered creative sector.
He noted that the collaborative effort signifies a significant step towards realizing the full potential of Nakuru City’s creative community.
So far, the county has painted the benches within the city in collaboration with the Gothenburg art city in Sweden.
Joseph Maina alias Babushe who is the father of creative art in the county said, the paintings on the benches have created a lot of curiosity from the residents and the tourists who visit the city.
At the entrance of the city below the bridge Babushe’s huge mural and the flamingoes, which have made the city famous stand out prominently, and they encourage conversations on the city.
Babushe said the murals have awakened interest in art and a number of building owners and banks have approached them to paint murals on their walls.
Additionally, he said for a city to be recognized as an art city, it has to achieve visibility of art work that appeals to various senses.
Also, he said the drawings of the murals have attracted the attention of street children who are willing to learn how to paint, and whenever they are working at night, the children are quite helpful as they serve as casual laborers whereby they hold the ladders and mix the paints among other duties.
Commending the street children for their enthusiasm, he said they are appealing for funds to incorporate and train them to work as visual artists to enable them earn a living and become useful members of society.
Courtesy; KNA
