INTERNATIONAL STARS TO GRACE LITERARY FEST

International stars will be jetting into Nairobi for Kenya’s premier literary event, Story Moja Hay Festival that brings together writers, storytellers, environmentalists, poets, business leaders and education professionals to share stories and ideas.

The festival will also be the culmination of a city-wide storytelling competition for young people (the Kwani Short Story Competition), the Story Moja Hay Poetry Competition, and a chance to engage with the Right to Read campaign to get a book in the hand of every Kenyan.

It will be held from October 1 to 3 at Railways Club, Nairobi. The festival will have over 60 events in 3 days of brilliance.

Festival participants in 2010 include: Denise Gordon – American Soul Musician, Michela Wrong (UK) - political writer and journalist, Jaffar Al Amin - son of Idi Amin, Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe) - lawyer, writer, Benjamin Zephaniah - UK poet, performer, activist, Andy Middleton (Climate change consultant), Tiffany Murray (Welsh author), Dr. Julie Grigg (Founder - Medics4timbuktu project), Lars Rambe (Sweden) – crime novelist and lawyer and Sandra A.Mushi – Tanzanian poet, writer and designer.

Others include filmmaker Tom Twyker (German) and co-founder of One Fine Day and NGO whose pilot project “Soul Boy“ (2010) premiered at Gothenburg International Film festival in January 2010.



Jane Bussmann - (UK)- born Comedy Writer for over fifty shows in Britain and America including South Park, the Emmy-winning Smack The Pony and The Fast Show. While Kenyan legendary literary and filmmaking personalities include Francis Imbuga, John Kiriamiti – reformed criminal, author Oyunga Pala, Sunny Bindra, Doreen Baingana, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Sitawa Namwalie, Lucy Simiyu is a professional counselling psychologist with skills in organizational development and leadership training. Ruth Gasson, Olouch Madiang – Kenyan Storyteller, actor, director, playwright, writer and poet, and many more.

INTERNATIONAL STARS TO GRACE LITERARY FEST

International stars will be jetting into Nairobi for Kenya’s premier literary event, Story Moja Hay Festival that brings together writers, storytellers, environmentalists, poets, business leaders and education professionals to share stories and ideas.

The festival will also be the culmination of a city-wide storytelling competition for young people (the Kwani Short Story Competition), the Story Moja Hay Poetry Competition, and a chance to engage with the Right to Read campaign to get a book in the hand of every Kenyan.

It will be held from October 1 to 3 at Railways Club, Nairobi. The festival will have over 60 events in 3 days of brilliance.

Festival participants in 2010 include: Denise Gordon – American Soul Musician, Michela Wrong (UK) - political writer and journalist, Jaffar Al Amin - son of Idi Amin, Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe) - lawyer, writer, Benjamin Zephaniah - UK poet, performer, activist, Andy Middleton (Climate change consultant), Tiffany Murray (Welsh author), Dr. Julie Grigg (Founder - Medics4timbuktu project), Lars Rambe (Sweden) – crime novelist and lawyer and Sandra A.Mushi – Tanzanian poet, writer and designer.

Others include filmmaker Tom Twyker (German) and co-founder of One Fine Day and NGO whose pilot project “Soul Boy“ (2010) premiered at Gothenburg International Film festival in January 2010.



Jane Bussmann - (UK)- born Comedy Writer for over fifty shows in Britain and America including South Park, the Emmy-winning Smack The Pony and The Fast Show. While Kenyan legendary literary and filmmaking personalities include Francis Imbuga, John Kiriamiti – reformed criminal, author Oyunga Pala, Sunny Bindra, Doreen Baingana, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Sitawa Namwalie, Lucy Simiyu is a professional counselling psychologist with skills in organizational development and leadership training. Ruth Gasson, Olouch Madiang – Kenyan Storyteller, actor, director, playwright, writer and poet, and many more.

SOUNDAFRICA SIGNS DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH US SOUL STAR

American soul singer and vocalist, Denise Gordon, who is set to headline this year’s Storymoja Hay Festival, signed a distribution deal with Kenya's premier music distributor - Sound Africa.
David Makali the CEO of the distribution company told Hot Secrets, “It was done last year for her first album Wangu We and we staged a concert for her with Kidum as well.”
Denise will perform at the launch dinner for the literary festival called Dine with Stars on September 30 at the Carnivore.
She is famed for her hit, We Need the Children, which received an Honorary Mention in the 2003 John Lennon and 2005 Great American Songwriting Contests.
She has collaborated with Kenya’s keyboard guru Aaron Rimbui in a joint dubbed My Ideal Man, a delightful, spoken word piece painted by the piano of the Kenyan musician. The album also features singles like Suddenly Sudan, which was written during her days in Darfur in support of those, affected by the war. The rap in the beginning is a former Sudanese child soldier named Lam, who is speaking in his native tongue of Nuer.
The heavy drums added by Executive Producer R Kay, represents the burden of war along with the chants of Kenyan singer Hellen Mtawali who make listeners feel the tears and suffering of the situation. Denise is delighted that this song has been selected to feature on the compilation Rwanda for Darfur.
She has performed before in Nairobi at the July 4 Blankets and Wine monthly music festival.

SOUNDAFRICA SIGNS DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH US SOUL STAR

American soul singer and vocalist, Denise Gordon, who is set to headline this year’s Storymoja Hay Festival, signed a distribution deal with Kenya's premier music distributor - Sound Africa.
David Makali the CEO of the distribution company told Hot Secrets, “It was done last year for her first album Wangu We and we staged a concert for her with Kidum as well.”
Denise will perform at the launch dinner for the literary festival called Dine with Stars on September 30 at the Carnivore.
She is famed for her hit, We Need the Children, which received an Honorary Mention in the 2003 John Lennon and 2005 Great American Songwriting Contests.
She has collaborated with Kenya’s keyboard guru Aaron Rimbui in a joint dubbed My Ideal Man, a delightful, spoken word piece painted by the piano of the Kenyan musician. The album also features singles like Suddenly Sudan, which was written during her days in Darfur in support of those, affected by the war. The rap in the beginning is a former Sudanese child soldier named Lam, who is speaking in his native tongue of Nuer.
The heavy drums added by Executive Producer R Kay, represents the burden of war along with the chants of Kenyan singer Hellen Mtawali who make listeners feel the tears and suffering of the situation. Denise is delighted that this song has been selected to feature on the compilation Rwanda for Darfur.
She has performed before in Nairobi at the July 4 Blankets and Wine monthly music festival.

MALIAN PRINCE CONFIRMED FOR LITERARY FEST

Y’all need to know that a Mali royalty will be in the country next month.
Senegalese born Seckou Keita a descendant of the Malian Keita family of kings will grace the international literary fest, Storymoja Hay Festival.
The four-day literary event will run from July 30 to August 2 at the Impala grounds, and will host acclaimed personalities including writers Hanif Kureshi, Michela Wrong, Vikram Seth among others.
The PR representatives confirmed that the Seckou, 31, has confirmed his attendance. He is a charismatic live performer and one of the few champions of the less-known kora (a 21-stringed harp made from a gourd and popular in West Africa).
However, under normal circumstances his lineage would not allow him to become a performer (griot) but he learned to play the kora during his stay with his mother’s side of the family, the Cissokho’s, a well-established griot family in Senegal.
Seckou developed his work on the kora by playing for luminaries like Salif Keita and Youssou N’Dour,