In a nutshell, this is what the Lake Turkana Festival 2012 is all about. Proposed by the local community of Loiyangalani, Kenya, back in 2008 and jointly organised by the German Embassy, the Local Community Festival Committee, National Museums of Kenya and Private Safaris (K) Ltd., the Lake Turkana Festival has become an important element of Kenya's annual event calendar.

From 18 to 20 May 2012, the Lake Turkana Festival will take place in Loiyangalani for the fifth consecutive year. Focusing on the sustainability of the event, the Festival will be built around its core, i.e. the presentation of cultural dances and traditions of the participating communities, and cover issues relevant to the region.

From a cultural point of view, the event will feature unique performances and demonstrations of ten ethnic communities which live in the Lake Turkana region: El Molo, Rendille, Samburu, Turkana, Dassanach, Ghabra, Borana, Konso, Wata and Burji.

Do you know what a Ghabra or a Burji looks like at all? Or better yet: have you ever seen them sing and dance in their traditional ways? Have you ever been able to visit the living room of a Dassanach's hut? Have you ever tried the food of any of these communities? Where will you ever be able to witness that if not during the Lake Turkana Festival in Loiyangalani in Northern Kenya?

At first glance, this sounds like a light cultural entertainment programme but the three days event serves a deeper purpose: in a region which – for most of the year – makes headlines with issues such as security concerns, famine, environmental challenges, lack of infrastructure and fights among various ethnic communities, the Lake Turkana Festival gives the participating communities an opportunity for cross-cultural interaction, cooperation and exchange, both the preparation and in the course of the Festival. The underlying main goal therefore has been and continues to be promoting peace and reconciliation.

For Kenyans as well as for Expatriates, the presentation of the customs and living conditions of the ten tribes, their spectacular traditional costumes, arts and crafts, dances and music is a unique and fascinating experience – in particular in light of the stunning geographical characteristics and the limited general knowledge about the Lake Turkana region.