The last week of May 2024 was tremendously rewarding and rejuvenating to me, both professionally and creatively.
I travelled to Cape Town, South Africa, for a two-day scientific conference launching of a master blueprint for the creation of the African Population Health Consortium (APCC). I arrived on a weekend before the meeting and put on my boots to go for an update of the city. In previous visit, I had done Table Mountain but have never wanted to go to Mandela’s Robben Island. Too depressing.
I chose to revisit and update with happenings in the Cape Town Waterfront, whose 123-hectare neighbourhood has millions visiting. Wikipedia defines it as Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront, named after Prince Alfred and Queen Victoria, members of the Royal Family of Britain when Cape Town was part of their Cape Colony.
An amazing place and a hive of intense business and cultural activity.
The Waterfront is a public space abound with opportunities, promoting prosperity and wellbeing for South Africans. There are over 450 shops and over 80 restaurants. The Waterfront supports local art, design and performances, honouring the rich history of an eclectic nation, encouraging a creative economy that values culture.
As a conference treat, participants were invited for dinner at Gold Restaurant in the Waterfront. On arrival, we found Ghanaian Djembe drums on every seat. The first hour was a lesson in rhythmic drumming. The restaurant brings an authentic African experience, with local stories told through live entertainment as the dinner takes you on a 14-dish taste-safari.
One finds themselves swept away with welcoming praise singing, and dancing to the rhythms of the marimba percussion and Djembe drums. Africa’s past entertaining present-day African scientists creatively.
Food for thought: Why do we not experience such creative entertainment in Kenya?
A case in point is Mama Ngina, Mombasa, gazetted as a National Monument in 1991 and renamed in 2019 as the `Mama Ngina Waterfront Park’ after a facelift. Locals and tourists stream in to catch the breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean.
A visitor commented: “I loved the concept. Separating the cars from the walkway was the best idea. Fully lit up at night is brilliant. However, needs to be maintained as there are gaps in the drainage where a child could break a leg running”
I find it very disappointing to walk through Mama Ngina Drive seeing people taking selfies. Hardly any entertainment is available. As for food; roasted cassava seems to be the only delicacy worth remembering.
Why are investors not attracted to support this national monument cashing in on the creative economy? Has the county government of Mombasa developed an investment plan for Waterfront Park?
I am told that the county government of Homa Bay has plans for a drive by the lake shore. Good move, but take a leaf from the Cape Town Waterfront.
Another case study is from County City of Nairobi. The revamped Uhuru Park, Nairobi, sitting on a 12.9 hectare-land, has manicured lawns, well-maintained trees, an aquarium named Uhuru Aquascape, a transformed waterfront with a Swahili restaurant, a botanical space with species of flowers and plants to capture Kenya’s floral biodiversity.
There are management offices, event and physical exercise spaces. Along Processional Way is a dancing fountain, several eateries and two high-end restaurants, shelter gardens, outdoor spaces including a water cascade, ablution facilities, and a skating park. Sculptures of wild animals, including warthogs and rhinos, are strategically placed.
All very nice and congratulations to the design effort by the Kenya Defence Forces. It is a welcome relief from the past. At last, families have somewhere to go and while away.
However, there is nothing creative in the ice cream, bottled water, soda and hot dogs to eat! This is an investment paradise that should take off. Are there plans? What about creative arts beyond the overemphasized metal sculptures?
Opportunities for growth of creative economy are evident with our rich and diverse cultural heritage, young and dynamic population, fast-growing digital and mobile penetration, and vibrant and innovative artistic scene, let alone animation and promise in AI.
So, how do we rise and soar from this desperate situation?
There is a draft policy and a bill developed by the government, and it has undergone stakeholder participation, proposing the creation of a Creative Industries Development Fund to support the promotion and growth of the sector and the establishment of creative hubs to facilitate innovation, research, and development in the sector.
The writer is a scientist, author, playwright and blogger. [email protected]
