Rusinga Festival- The Place to Be

The famous Rusinga Festival seeks to celebrate the culture of the Abasuba community. The Abasuba people occupy Mfangano and Rusinga Islands. The community’s culture is slowly becoming extinct, mostly because of intermarriage and assimilation.

Did you know that Abasuba people are not Luo? The people are more of Bantus and their culture and language is similar to that of Ugandans.

The festival showcased the Abasuba’s culture, food, clothing, vocal and instrumental music, dance, sports, drama, storytelling and language. The event which is often graced by people from across the region is held annually at different locations within the island. Last year’s event was held on 22nd and 23rd December 2022 at the Tom Mboya mausoleum.

The festival was officially launched by the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Natural Heritage, Hon Peninah Malonza, the area MP, Hon Millie Ojiambo, Permanent Secretaries John Ololtua and Imma Mohammed for Tourism and Heritage respectively, among other senior national and county government officials. It is interesting to note that Hon. Millie Ojiambo has a Suba father and a Luo mother, which makes her a Suba. However, it is unfortunate that she does not speak the language. She is committed to conserving the language and in the future, be fluent at the Suba language. 

Vendors were showcasing their merchandise in stands at the mausoleum grounds as well as sharing important information on health, culture and tourist sites within the region. Some of the merchandises were foods, t-shirts, calendars, flyers on tourist attraction sites in the Lake Victoria region among others. A sponsor stand was dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness, a major health disaster around the lake region. 

The first day started at around 11.30 am. The Abasuba people showcased their culture through their heartthrob performances that left the audience in awe. The different dance troupes graced the audience with amazing moves and vocals. The dancers adorned skin and sisal attires, which complemented their flexible bodies. Several modern dance troupes gave performances, symbolizing the merging of the new and old days. The children were called aside for storytelling sessions, which enhanced their comprehension skills and entertained the children, a group which gets bored pretty quickly. 

Ruma National Park was greatly advertised as a tourist attraction getaway in the region. The park is home to the extinct Roan Antelope. Several children were taken to the park, and they then gave their feedback during the festival. They were excited about the trip and encouraged the audience to visit the park. 

The second day started at around 10.30 with the different entertainment groups preparing for the day. At around eleven, the procession left for the beach in preparation for the boat racing competition. The procession was led by government officials and the dancers who psyched up the public in anticipation of the race. 

The race took about an hour after which the procession headed back to the mausoleum grounds. The artists entertain the audience with dances, tug of war and wrestling, after which, the government official gave their speeches. The leaders reiterated their commitment for a partnership between the county and national government to protect the heritage and culture of the Abasuba people and position the region as a top tourist destination in the western circuit. The CS pledged to offer financial and technical support towards future cultural events. Hon. Sarah Malit announced the plans to set up the Roan Marathon in 2023 to conserve Ruma National Park. The officials left and performances continued. The festival came to an end at around 5 in the evening.

PS. The first day is usually better, as there are less speeches and more performances.