*The Talking drums of Africa* in collaboration with Kenyan artistic/cultural
organizations, non governmental organizations, the private sector,
international artists/cultural organizations and professionals have proposed
to organize the *Drum Café 2010 Peace Festival/Conference *from Sunday
19thSeptember 2010 to Saturday 25th September 2010*,* in our effort
to* *communicate dialogue among
civilizations and cultures, respect and mutual understanding using available
methods and facilities, send a clear message towards the critical situation
throughout the world, characterized by hate and poverty across vast regions
and confrontations between cultures.

*Kenya* as a state has been crossed by paths of long and complex history.
>From prehistoric records to the present day, she has been a land of unending
change and diversity. Early tribal states saw cycles of migration and
shifting power with Kenya as a meeting place for people from plain lands of
the south, the forest of the west and deserts of the north. The sea brought
influence from the outside world and the passage of the spice trade created
the unique coastal culture.

*She -Kenya* served as a meeting place of cultures, where adventurers and
soldiers of fortune mingled with a complex tribal society. Kenya indeed has
managed to draw all influence and developed in to a unique culture. For sure
these is just one of her greatest strengths; the ability to blend all her
worlds into a one strong singular identity.

*At the end of December 2007*, the Kenyan presidential election was marked
by bloody confrontation during which 1,500 persons were killed and over
350,000 were displaced, some media did not hesitate to speak of ethnic
hatred, while others concentrated on the political and economic causes of
the crisis.

*World War I* claimed over 40 million casualties, including approximately 20
million civilian and military dead. And some 60 million people died in World
War II, including about 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians. The
twenty first century has witnessed civil wars in Africa which have claimed
millions of lives of citizens.

*Arts and Culture* are crucial in social and political development.
Invariably, they help a society to retain its desirable values, arrest
impending ailments on time, and exercise evils plaguing the well being of
people. As a media of social progress, Arts and culture are dynamic avenues
for the expansion of the frontiers of peace creations.

*The Drum café 2010 Peace festival and conference* aims to generate
consciousness of the dangerous global situation in which we are living; a
situation marked by the heightened probability of nuclear conflict, a
renewed arms race, and the violent military occupation of foreign
territories, religious, race and tribal conflicts.

*The drum Café 2010 Peace festival/conference* recognize the need to bring
together at a practical level diverse experiences in arts, academics,
religious, cultural, social and humanitarian services to identify the
conditions necessary to achieve sustainable development on peace. It could
be remembered that cultural practitioners and producers are invaluable at
times of political stress. When crises emerge or when repressive governments
take control artists operate with a relatively safe space and can offer
strong civil voice.

*The Drum Cafe2010 Peace Festival/Conference* is an unprecedented social
mobilization, advanced by cultural interventions aimed at bringing together
thousands of people, pacifist and nonviolence groups, a variety of
institutions, and figures from the worlds of science, arts, culture, and
politics, who are sensitive to the urgency of the moment It will also awaken
a consciousness of nonviolence that rejects not only physical violence, but
all forms of violence: economic, racial, psychological, religious, sexual,
etc. This new sensibility could take root and inspire the social structures,
opening the way towards the future Universal Human Nation.

*Our mission* is to work towards a cultural intervention in building bridges
of love, respect, and understanding around nations by educating and
mobilizing our communities in creating a future of peace and justice for all
humanity using available media and arts/ cultural methods.
To acknowledge cultural diversity as a driving force of development, not
only on respect of growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling
intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life.

*Please* join us to give a voice to the majority of world citizens by
supporting the Drum Cafe 2010 Peace Arts Festival/Conference. We request you
to identify and propose groups from your respective country to
participate in our Festival/conference and also to publicize and promote the
event into your entire community. Let us send out a unified signal
towards the urgent need to condemn all forms of violence and bring
about real Peace
through embracing our cultural diversity.

*"If we fail to use creativity as a force for social justice, transformation
and the articulation of human need, we may unwittingly find that we are
letting down the very people in whose name we work.

*BACKGROUND*

The Talking drums of Africa are one of the leading choreographers and
producers of a broad range of specialty African authentic music and dance.
The Talking drums engage in Production, Skill development, Cultural
empowerment & Education. It was formed in *1995* and is among the early
pioneers of drum music industry in Kenya.

In 2006 the* Talking Drums of Africa *initiated a drum project dubbed* "THE
DRUM CAFE",** *an innovative network of creative and performing
professionals with the Central aim of re-defining drum music as a powerful
medium of social change in east Africa. The first drum cafe was first hosted
by Alliance francaise De Nairobi in September 2006 and supported by various
individuals, cultural and artistic institutions. Since then the Program has
continued to work with younger and older drummers, musicians, artists and
organizations such as UNESCO, Sarakasi trust, Amref, Unity College and the
Go down Arts center, the drum café holds workshops and organize performances
where skills and knowledge are shared with the audiences besides serving as
a source of soulful entertainment. **

OBJECTIVES



· To highlight knowledge and practices in the field that
advance artistic effectiveness to expand a collective impact.

· To promote the use of music as a medium for social
change through a focus on effective measures,

· To increase cultural awareness and promote exchange
between culture and development.**

*· **To spear head and support the use of arts and culture
in conflict resolution, education, Peace and friendship. ***

· To improve knowledge on peace making through sharing
information and experiences.**

· To help societies retain their desirable values, arrest
impending ailments on time and exercise dynamic avenues for the expansion of
the frontiers of peace creation.**

· To acknowledge cultural diversity as a driving force of
development, not only on respect of growth, but also as a means of leading a
more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life.


*THE PROGRAM*

*The DRUM CAFÉ 2010 PEACE FESTIVAL* will be a seven day celebration of
cultural diversity presented by and for the various Kenyan ethnic subgroups
and communities living in Kenya and their international guests.

*The DRUM CAFÉ 2010 PEACE FESTIVAL* aims to create a safe place for all
Kenyans and their international guests to value the importance of culture as
a tool in conflict resolution and culture's vital role in maintaining peace
in local communities, nations and throughout the world.

*"In its rich diversity, culture has intrinsic value for development as well
as social cohesion and peace."*

*The DRUM CAFÉ 2010 PEACE FESTIVAL* will feature:
A seven day showcase of performances, presentations, workshops, displays
and demonstrations of music, theater, dance, storytelling, food, films,
traditional medicines and crafts at various venues in Dandora, Kibera,
Kawangware (slum areas which all experienced terrible consequence of the
last post election chaos where by neighbors turned against each other,
killed and or destroying each others property) and in the Nairobi city
center

- A peace march through the Nairobi city main roads
- An every day parade featuring a hundred drummers
- A two day conference on *Peace in Our World* - providing a platform
for civic and religious leaders as well as cultural, educational and
community spokespeople
- A wide range of performances on different stage with tailored
productions on peace.
- A screening of various peace based film messages on large screens in
all festival venues.
- A display of art facts and other materials on peace making and a
variety of exhibition stalls around festival venues.



*The DRUM CAFÉ 2010 PEACE FESTIVAL* will invite and engage the participation
of young people, women, families, elders and men from Nairobi, Kenya, East
Africa and around the World to come together and celebrate their shared
history, their diverse identities and their common futures.



*The DRUM CAFÉ 2010 PEACE FESTIVAL *will bring together Artists and Cultural
entrepreneurs from a broad range of disciplines as well as government
departments, Cultural institutions, Social and Humanitarian groups,
Educational Institutions, Non-Governmental organizations, Private sector and
community based organizations to strengthen the campaign towards achieving
peace in Kenya and the world at large.

*The Conference*

A two day peace conference will bring together local and international young
people, NGO's, religious parties, cultural agents, artists, government
departments and community groups to achieve sustainable development on
peace.

*Conference Objectives*

- To promote and create a significant impact focusing on effective
measures, to create cultural awareness in peace making and conflict
resolution.
- To improve knowledge on peace making through sharing information and
experiences.
- To help societies retain their desirable values, arrest impending
ailments on time and exercise dynamic avenues for the expansion of the
frontiers of peace creation.
- To acknowledge cultural diversity as a driving force of development,
not only on respect of growth, but also as a means of leading a more
fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life.


*Conference topics*

- The role of world citizens in conflict resolutions.
- Age, Gender and Professionalism perspectives in peace development.
- Cultural and Artistic interventions, practices and experiences in peace
creation.
- Acceptance and recognition of cultural diversity through innovative
uses of media and arts as key elements in developing sustainable peace.
- Communicating dialogue among civilizations and cultures, respect and
mutual understanding using available methods and facilities.



*FESTIVAL PROGRAM*



*DAY ONE SUNDAY 19TH 09 2010*

08:00 Drum Parade

09:30 Peace March flag off

13:00 End of procession

19:00 OPENING GALA NIGHT

00:00 CLOSING



*DAY TWO MONDAY 20TH 09 2010*

08:00 Registration of conference participants

09:00 Official opening of the conference and Festival

10:00 Entertainment

10:45 Break (coffee/tea)

11:00 session one

(Role of world citizens in conflict resolutions).

13:00 Lunch break

14:00 session two

(*Age, Gender and Professionalism perspectives in peace development.*)

16:00 Artistic session I

(Cultural and Artistic interventions, practices and experiences in peace
creation)

17:00 Closing

19:00 Poetry and traditional music night

22:00 Ending



*DAY THREE TUESDAY 21ST 09 2010***

09:00 session three

(Communicating dialogue among civilizations and cultures, respect and mutual
understanding using available methods and facilities).

10:45 Break (coffee/tea)

11:00 session four

(Communicating dialogue among civilizations and cultures, respect and
mutual understanding using available methods and facilities.).

13:00 Lunch break

14:00 Session five

(Investing in art and culture as a social tool for community development,
empowerment and peaceful co-existence and integration)

16:00 Artistic session ii

(Acceptance and recognition of cultural diversity through innovative uses of
media and arts as key elements in developing sustainable peace).

7:00 Closing

19:00 Oral literature night - story telling, Narratives and short skits

22:00 Ending

* DAY FOUR WEDNESDAY 22ND 09 2010 DANDORA *

08:00 Arrival of all local groups

10:00 sound check

11:00 program starts (30mins each group)

14:00 Bands and international groups (1hr each)

18: closing



*DAY FIVE THURSDAY 23RD 09 2010 KIBERA*

08:00 Arrival of all local groups

10:00 sound check

11:00 program starts (30mins each group)

14:00 Bands and international groups (1hr each)

18: closing



*DAY SIX FRIDAY 24TH 09 2010 KAWANGWARE*

08:00 Arrival of all local groups

10:00 sound check

11:00 program starts (30mins each group)

14:00 Bands and international groups (1hr each)

18: 00 closing



*DAY SEVEN SATURDAY 25TH 09 2010 CITY CENTRE*

08:00 Arrival of all groups

09:00 Drum Parade

09:30 Invited Guests and Institutions/organizations

10:00 Program starts

Activities happening on two stages

00:00 Closing