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Mission Statement- The Great Rift Valley Trust aims to creatively heal the divisions between cultures and between people and nature by bringing together exceptional artists from all continents and cultures to humanity’s common cradle, the Great Rift Valley. In its quest to nurture cross-cultural and cross-generational inspiration based on the ancient elements of earth, water, air and fire, the Trust continues to highlight and promote humanity’s link with nature and our obligation to the environment for sustainable progress. Practically- This will be the 4th event of the GRVT. As with every year artists from all OVER the world come together for 2 weeks prior to the event to create new work especially for the festival weekend. The work is a result of the collaboration between these artists- from different cultures and mediums. The artists are requested to draw inspiration from the environment and engage with the issue we are highlighting at the time- in this case the global WATER situation, to create work which will fill spectators with wonder and awe, reconnect us to mother nature, instil a sense of wonderment and hopefully stimulate us to live responsibly towards the environment. Festival- the festival will carry on throughout the weekend. Individual performances of particular artists and fusion performances between artists who have met at the festival will be taking place at different locations throughout the conservancy, and also within the festival site. Most of these pieces will be ‘site specific’ that is to say, emerging from the landscape or created especially to fit with the landscape. There will however also be occasions for artists to show their usual repertoire of work or do ‘sets’ that comprise previous work. In the evenings there will be live music and a celebratory spirit, dancing or a chance to join in and jam away. During the day, there will be the chance for people to get involved. There will be workshops- for example singing or clay making workshops, attend the smaller performances, view documentaries and films based on the WATER theme in the documentary tent, learn something new. Performance- The main performance will take place on Saturday 23 at dusk. The performance is directed by Monica Maimone of Studio Festi. It will be based on ancient FLOOD stories from around the world- every culture in the world has a story of the flood, we are taking these stories and looking at how they are a valid metaphor for what is happening presently in the world. The performance will be the culmination of the collaborative work of all the artists, it will be visually spectacular, musically emotive and superb. Monica Maimone of Studio Festi- www.studiofesti.org. Monica is the creative force behind the world renowned outdoor theatre production company Studio Festi. They have put on productions all over the world, including the Pope’s millennium celebrations in Rome, as well as productions in Tokyo, the Grand Canyon, Moscow and most recently the opening of the winter Olympics in Turin. Monica’s productions are visually spectacular and embrace a quality of fairytale. Program- the program is being finalised and will be available later in January. The first event will be at 5.30 on Friday 22 and the final event will be on Sunday night. If people really want to know what the event may be like they can take example from last year’s EARTH program, though bearing in mind that obviously now that we have 3 whole days, the program will be vastly extended.
Timings- Guests are welcome to start arriving to set up camp as of 12.00 noon on Friday 22nd February and are requested to leave by 10.00 a.m. Monday 25th February. (see program, as above). Directions- As per document Location- the Laikipia Nature Conservancy is a stunning 100,000 acre estate of unparalleled beauty, perched right on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. It is home to several hundred elephant, over 3000 cape buffalo, 15 Black rhino, many lion, leopard and big game, 400 species of birds and has been described as ‘the most botanically varied non-forested area in East Africa’ (TP Young 1990). It is also home to the Gallmann Memorial Foundation www.gallmannkenya.org and world renowned author Kuki Gallmann, I Dreamed of Africa. Accommodation- a range of accommodation options in tents is available from Lets Go Travel ( www.letsgosafari.com) or one can bring one’s own tent- we provide campsite facilities and a camp manager on site. For information on how to get there, contact Henry 0738 595 008 or email : aqua@letsgosafari.com Food and Drink- Our partners Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, and their Mount Kenya Safari Club and Norfolk Team with Chef Abdalla, have put together delicious options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, ice cream parlours, fresh juices and smoothies bar, and a fully stocked pay bar for wines, spirits, cocktails. Guests can choose to prepay an attractive all inclusive package for all meals, or choose alternatives-with a margin of flexibility. Menus for the event are available. Food vouchers will be issued by Henry at Lets go Trave.l Children- are welcome. Children under the age of 12 pay half price and we recommend that you bring an ayah to take care of them though we will not provide facilities especially for ayahs or children. There will be plenty of activities- such as the workshops or story telling sessions, face painting, singing, throughout the day which children can take part in. What to Wear, what to bring- The altitude is 6300 ft or over 2000 m which means it can be chilly at night. Bring warm clothing and comfortable, sturdy shoes. The day times will be hot, a hat and sun cream would be useful. Don’t forget a torch- preferably a rechargeable one- solar or dynamo torches work really well. For the main performance on Saturday night we will be wearing aqva colours- so if you feel inspired please don your blues, silvers, greens, grays… First Aid- there will be a trained first aid worker and doctor on site throughout the weekend, but for extra coverage we recommend you take out Flying Doctor’s insurance.
Be RESPONSIBLE Environment- AQUA is aiming to be a CARBON NEUTRAL event. Travelling leaves a carbon footprint. For more information on carbon neutrality please look up the site note below. Please inform us once you have offset the carbon emissions you create in getting to the festival. You can calculate and offset your emissions by going to www.carbonneutral.com, NRDC.org/thisgreenlife, Carbonfund.org, www.LiveNeutral.org, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/carbon_offset.org or any similar web site. Please create as little rubbish as possible- Refuse, Reuse, Recycle. Try Not to bring things like plastic bags, bring bottles instead of cans, reuse your water bottles at the filling points rather than buying more bottles, finally make sure you dispose of ALL your rubbish- even a cigarette butt or a can-top can be dangerous to the wild and rare animals that will once again graze on this land once the festival is over. Where possible, try to take note of the different recycling bins scattered on site. Fire- there will be bonfires at necessary sites. Please DO NOT light your own fires as fire poses a grave hazard and can spread incredibly quickly in the windy dry season. Safety- remember this is a nature conservancy boasting abundant wildlife. Wild animals can be dangerous and are unpredictable. Guests are prohibited from leaving the Festival Site unless accompanied by an authorised person or guard. Remember whilst walking about that buffalo love to lurk in bushy patches…
Water projects- we are using this event to raise awareness and funds. All proceeds from ticket money will go into water projects in the neighbouring communities. An assessment of the water situation and needs of several communities (north- Pokot, east- Turkana and Samburu , south- Kikuyu, West- Tugen and Njemps) has already been undertaken. We are evaluating priorities and action areas. Water companies have already been approached to assist in the provision of water projects- i.e digging wells, giving pumps, purification of water etc. Community- the entire community has been involved in the production of this event, creating vast employment and educational opportunities which otherwise would never have happened. NOTE: After the tragic post-electoral violence in Kenya we feel that this event that goes ahead through the terrific committment and spirit of all the organisers, artists and sponsors will be a poignant occasion occasion to show to the world the spirit of Kenya, to help lift the negative perception and to help the healing process. ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO DIRECTLY TO CHARITY TO HELP THE DISPLACED AND TO SUPPORT THE INNOCENTS.
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