.........LEMUKOL'S: Inside Lodwar's Annual Cultural Bonanza

Turkana dancers on stage

Evidently, devolution, and by extension, individual county governments should be credited for catapulting hitherto rural communities to the higher echelons of national development.

In a country where "development" was inseparable from political correctness, "voting weight", and/or geographical reasons, it is very important to note the impact devolution has made so far and the urgent need to thwart any attempts to reverse this people-friendly process.

While it is increasingly becoming acceptable to judge the performance of county governments by the number of movable or immovable goodies, namely, ambulances, hospital equipment, schools, dispensaries, rural access roads, and so on, I choose to veer off this road and focus on the unseen benefits of devolution.

One such milestone is cultural appreciation and promotion.

Admittedly, it takes much effort to convince a government entity in Kenya to support something to do with culture. One pertinent reason is the often suppressed truth we all know. Investing in culture brings minimal political returns. You see, it takes the presence of a big shiny government building, for instance, for the populace to stomach any talk about “development”.

Belief on "visible development" is our greatest undoing. This, I believe, is one of the areas clear-minded county government chiefs must tackle.

And this is why I am happy when I see a county like Turkana setting up frameworks to institutionalize culture, not only as people's heritage, but as a resource that should be used to fight poverty, promote appreciation of education and diversity.

As I write this, the Turkana County Government is finalizing plans to hold its second annual cultural bonanza in Lodwar this August.

Dubbed “Tobong'u Loree” (loosely translated as "Come Back Home"), this step is inspired by what may be described as a need to tap into the immaterial resource of the people. Its proponents have added another line: that this annual event is geared towards reliving people's cultures in a manner that degrades any elements of self-hate.

I agree. Many poor communities in Kenya need to debunk that false belief among our "modern compatriots" that to maintain your culture or being "traditional" is to court poverty or desperation.

Though, I find it a noble idea, I still would like to point out that any action relating to culture should look for a middle ground between gains for the owners of culture - in this case communities - and how these gains can be generated.

It behooves to say that at this time and age when technology is king and whoever exploits it stands tall above his competitors, expecting culture enthusiasts to physically attend your dances, traditional shows or those things we bandy around as our cultural heritage, is self-defeating.

This is why I must point out the shortcomings of organisers of Lodwar's cultural event. Culture is like any other brand that depends on publicity for its profitability to materialize. The gem, as tourism experts affirm, rests with availing well processed ready-to-swallow information to your target audience.

Which provokes some questions: For a county blessed with picturesque landscapes ideal for filming and photo-shooting, hot springs and oases, wildlife, the only desert lake in the world, a people with undiluted cultural touch etc, why do authorities still find it hard to make a bold appearance in the online platforms and showcase to the "other world" that there is, indeed, something sweet in Turkana?

What does it tell of our preparedness and vision that a month to the D-day little has been done to market this publicly funded cultural event? Or are authorities affirming that this is just another village event premised on a need to cool down our folks and cover up official inadequacies?

This is what I think: A noble idea loses its weight the moment its execution is mired in shortsightedness and unclear-mindedness.

I am afraid Lodwar's Annual Cultural Bonanza is one such idea.

It is my hope that the Turkana County Governor will see it wise to fix the small hiccups that may render this people-centered initiative fruitless. It is time we acknowledged our limitations and seek ways of remedying them.

At the end of the day, the people must get value for their wealth.