Littlegig Lamu 2023

A 3-day micro festival of mind-expanding experiences in extraordinary settings.

CURATORIAL STATEMENT

“Our mission is for Littlegig Lamu to create a diverse temporary community on this tiny East African archipelago. We want to amplify the global influence of Africa’s creative economy. And we want to experience the ancient and bohemian setting that is Lamu, with people who share our absolute wonder that such a place exists in our lifetime.”

– FOUNDER, GEORGIA BLACK

Programme

The full programme can be found here. These are the highlights…

Daily

Headliners

TSITSI DANGAREMBGA is a Zimbabwean author, playwright and human rights activist, whose novels have won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Nervous Conditions) and been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (This Mournable Body). In 2022 Dangarembga was given a suspended jail sentence for taking part in a peaceful protest in Harare demanding political reform. In the same year she was named by the FT as one of their 25 most influential women of the year, and was a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard.

Grammy-nominated VALERIE JUNE from Tennessee, USA, hailed by the New York Times as one of America’s “most intriguing, fully formed new talents” is a musician, singer, songwriter, poet, illustrator, actor, yoga and meditation instructor, and author. Her latest award-winning album The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers weaves a tapestry of folk, soul, gospel, country, blues, psychedelia, and symphonic pop. June’s first book, ‘Maps for the Modern World’, is a collection of poems and original illustrations, and her second is a children’s book, ‘Somebody to Love’.

WANURI KAHIU is a Kenyan filmmaker, speaker and science fiction writer. Her award-winning film Rafiki was the first Kenyan film to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival and has since won multiple awards worldwide. Kahiu is a cultural leader for the World Economic Forum and an AFROBUBBLEGUM activist, championing the need for the creation and curation of fun, fierce, and frivolous African art. Kahiu is a director for Hulu’s Washington Black as well as the Netflix film Look Both Ways starring Lili Reinhart. She was named TIME’s 100 Next in 2019.

ZANELE MUHOLI is a South African visual activist and photographer who has documented the Black South African lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (L.G.B.T.I.) experience. Solo exhibitions of Muholi’s work have taken place at leading global institutions including the Stedelijk Museum, Tate Modern, Seattle Art Museum; Brooklyn Museum; Kulturhistorek Museum, and the National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik. Muholi has won numerous awards including the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2017).

Curators

Festival founder and director Georgia Black has curated Littlegig festivals in Cape Town (South Africa) and Lamu (Kenya) for 10 years, before which she was a magazine journalist for South African and international titles. The hallmark of her events is their programming, which pulls together creatives who are leaders in their fields, and smaller audiences who want to experience artistry in intimate settings.

Music curator Blinky Bill is a Kenyan producer/artist and DJ based in Nairobi. He is a part of electronic music and arts collective Just A Band. Blinky has produced songs featuring Goldlink, Sampa The Great, Childish Gambino, and Chance The Rapper, is a TED Fellow and has performed at SummerStage NYC, Afropunk, Design Indaba, and many other events around the world. His latest album will be released in May 2023.

Film and theatre curator Mugambi Nthiga is an actor, writer and director working on the stage and screen. He worked as a writer on the award-winning feature films Kati Kati (2016) and Supa Modo (2018), had his directorial feature film debut with Lusala (2020) at International Film Festival Rotterdam, co-wrote and directed the acclaimed stage show Too Early For Birds: Mboya, and performed the one-person play Every Brilliant Thing.

Since the 1960’s, Lamu has attracted artists, nomads and seekers. They have been enchanted by those white sails against that blue sea, for Lamu is one of the last places where you can experience Islamic seafaring culture. It is also the oldest Swahili settlement in East Africa, and a UNESCO World heritage site. There are ancient forts and miles of unspoilt beaches, mangrove channels that cut through the Indian Ocean, and villas surrounding one of the world’s most iconic hotels.
That magic of Lamu is of course available to any traveller with the urge to visit. What isn’t is the 3-day programme of mind-expanding experiences and the group of people that we gather.

Littlegig Lamu is limited to 60 guests, who have either been invited to buy tickets or have successfully applied to be part of this new creation. It is exclusive only in that it is for people who are genuinely drawn to building Africa’s creative economy.

Accommodation

Where to sleep in Lamu? You’re spoilt for choice, which is why we’re leaving it to you to book your own accommodation. We have however kept aside what we believe to be some of the best accommodation, and will instruct this to be released once your application for festival tickets has been successful. Click below for pricing and availability:

ROOMS INFO

Tickets & Costs

This is a small festival, with only 60 guests. Because we are committed to creating a diverse community from around the world, an application is required.

Tickets are 750USD each and include the full 3-day programme with all performances, food, and transport. There are a few ‘free’ tickets for guests who are selected to perform or create something special at the festival. If you have an idea, there is a space to include this in your application. Please note that travel to Lamu and accommodation are not included in the ticket price and we do not handle travel bookings.

IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE HEAVEN THAT YOU CAN’T AFFORD AND YOU’RE A KENYAN CREATIVE…

You are eligible to apply for Littlegig Lamu Sponsorship. This covers the 750USD programme and 4 nights of accommodation at Banana House. Excludes flights.