The Bandari Maritime Academy Cultural Week concluded in spectacular fashion, bringing together vibrant performances from ten community groups that showcased Kenya’s rich traditions through attire, music, and food.
During the cultural performances, the Kalenjin language group emerged winners in the traditional dance category, followed by the Mijikenda, in second place, while the Abaluhya group finished third.
In the traditional foods category, the Abaluhya community claimed the top position after presenting their famous traditionally prepared chicken dish, popularly known as ingoho. The Mijikenda community came second with their coconut-flavoured cuisine, while the Kalenjin community finished third after showcasing their traditional fermented milk, mursik.
In remarks delivered by Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs Evans Ayeiyo on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer Dr Eric Katana, said the cultural literacy enhances global citizenship, fosters intercultural competence, and strengthens collaboration in diverse maritime environment.
Futher, Dr Katana reminded students that cultural diversity and inclusion are essential values in the maritime sector, noting that seafarers interact with people from different cultural backgrounds while navigating across the world’s oceans.
Deputy Director and Registrar Dr Irene Mugo, encouraged students to embrace diversity, emphasizing that their professional journeys would expose them to multicultural working environments.
The cultural week attracted participation from students drawn from Technical University of Mombasa, Kenya Coast National Polytechnic, Mount Kenya University, University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenyatta University, and Moi University.
The event’s chief guest, Lulu Hassan, encouraged students to remain focused on their professional ambitions and emphasized the importance of resilience in the pursuit of success.
In support of nurturing talent, the renowned Citizen TV news anchor pledged to mentor students with talent in music and acting, and further promised to offer opportunities for selected students to feature in her televised telenovela productions.
The cultural presentations also featured performances from the Kamba community, Taita Community, Kikuyu Community, Luo Community and Maasai Community groups, highlighting Kenya’s rich diversity and promoting unity among students from different backgrounds.
