pamoja Street Festival

The Pamoja Street Festival is a project that seeks to build a partnership between different communities living in Nairobi and the government to promote safe and secure city through art and culture. It is a community engagement project that will be organized, planned and implemented by young people and residents of the City of Nairobi in collaboration with various stakeholders. The hope is to foster a better understanding between various stakeholders and the Nairobi city communities through a joint celebration of art and cultural diversity. The festival will feature music, dances, arts, fashion shows, motor shows, food and crafts from around the world presented by various artistes and community constituents. The hope is that the festival will be a permanent annual event in the National community calendar. Secondly, another activity namely, the Pamoja street Festival, which will be a time when members of the Nairobi community get together to have various art and culture shows and dialogue is envisioned to follow the festival on a monthly basis beginning in the March at the city hall or community level

Why art and culture?

1. In different parts of the world, art and culture has been used as a tool for social integration and peace building. For example in Dakar Senegal and Rio in Brazil to bridge the conflicting youth and police culture to reduce crime and violence.
2. Most of the people use art to express their emotional feelings, convey various messages or even call for action.
3. It is the most common social activity amongst young and older generation. It has the capabilities to mobilise community faster.
Pamoja Youth Foundation has been implementing this project since March 2009 in Kibera and is currently working on a bigger Nairobi street Festival in February 2010.

The festival bring together young people and police to foster clear understand between these two group to prevent crime and violence within Nairobi.