PH Embassy in Nairobi Spearheads ASEAN Festival 2019 in Kenya

The ASEAN-Nairobi Committee, led by Ambassador to Kenya Alex Chua (in barong), walks through the booths of the Missions offering delicious native food and traditional handicrafts. Photo shows dishes at the High Commission of Malaysia booth. (Nairobi PE photo)

NAIROBI 20 September 2019 — The ASEAN-Nairobi Committee, under the chairmanship of the Philippines, successfully celebrated the fourth ASEAN Festival in Village Market on 08 September 2019. Attending the festival are members of the diplomatic corps, Kenyans and expatriates alike.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador to Kenya Alex G. Chua shared that the best way to bridge gaps among peoples is through culture, as what the festival embodied in this years’s theme.

The day-long festival saw a variety of performances from the four ASEAN Missions in Nairobi, with traditional and modern dance numbers from the Philippines, interactive Indonesian angklung sessions, cultural re-enactment of a traditional Malaysian wedding, live cooking demonstrations from three Thai chefs exclusively flown from Thailand, and victory drum performance of the Thai Peacekeepers in the UN Mission in South Sudan. 

Each ASEAN Mission offered native delicacies such as chicken adobo, pad thai, nasi lemak and chicken satay.

The day culminated with a colorful fashion show featuring different ASEAN traditional attires.

Raffle draws of grand prizes, which included a round-trip business class ticket to Manila courtesy of Oman Air, and a round-trip ticket to Bali, were offered.

This is the fourth consecutive year of the ASEAN Festival, with the ASEAN-Nairobi Committee planning to hold the event every September, to inculcate in the consciousness of the host country’s people that September is the month wherein they can experience good food, great music and the vibrant culture of ASEAN. END

Philippine Embassy in Nairobi Third Secretary and Vice Consul Maria Rosanna Josue (in red) demonstrates the tinikling to one of the audience members, Blue Bay Beach House Director Stephen Smith. (Nairobi PE photo)

The Thai Peacekeepers in the UN Mission in South Sudan performed the Victory Drum dance, which is done to signal army movement in battle in the olden days and to celebrate battle victory. (Nairobi PE photo)

The Indonesian interactive angklung session counted with the participation of the audience who enthusiastically learned how to play famous African songs, Jambo Bwana and Malaika. (Nairobi PE photo)

Madame Marie Marla Chua and Ambassador Chua (leftmost and second from left, respectively) join the other ASEAN Heads of Missions and their spouses in thanking the audience at the end of the fashion show. (Nairobi PE photo)

For more information, visit https://ww.nairobipe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinKenya/