South Sudan's Wau to host cultural festival in June

May 23, 2014 (WAU) – South Sudan’s Western Bahr El Ghazal state has announced that it will host an African-themed cultural festival in the capital, Wau, next month to promote tribal diversity.

Western Bahr el Ghazal state’s information minister, Alfred Dric Oya, speaking to the press (ST)

Minister for information and communication Alfred Drick Oya said that the opening will be officially launched by South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir on 15 June, with performances from various states to perform traditional dances.

“So far, 49 dances of different tribes will be displayed during the festival,” said Oya, adding that the event would also incorporate drama, theatre, art, traditional and modern music, poetry and cinema.

The state council of ministers has also approved the formation of organising committees, including a financial committee tasked with mobilising one million South Sudanese pounds in event sponsorship.

Artists from across Africa have also been invited to take part in the seven-day event, including Uganda, Kenya, Congo, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Oya says the event aims to engage both local and international acts and to promote South Sudan as a peace-loving and culturally diverse nation.

“[It] will also help the local artists in the country to again momentum from the international experts across the world,” he said.

Oya said it is also hoped the event will help attract tourists to the region despite ongoing conflict in the country, which erupted in mid-December last year following a political split in the ruling party, reigniting ethnic tensions across the country.

(ST)