THE KISIMA COLLECTIVE

In Kiswahili, Kisma means well. The well is a symbol, across multiple cultures, of community. A well is often both symbolically, literally located at the center of the community. From the well the community draws water, the sustenance of life.

In the same way, Kisima festival, the Kisima Collective and Kisima’s growing community outreach program aims to be the epicenter of the wellbeing community, a safe and treasured space where we may draw nourishment and celebrate life.

Get Tickets for Kisima Easter 2023

Experience all the Kisima Collective has to offer this Easter long weekend!

Kisima festival only exists because of the wellbeing practitioners across Kenya who devote their time and energy to share the practices that have impacted their lives.
We call them the Kisima collective. They are a family of Kenya’s brightest wellbeing practitioners, space holders, wisdom keepers, healers, conscious activists, researchers, nature explorers and artists who offer their gifts in the form of workshops, therapies, talks, panel discussions and embodied practices on a wide range of subjects.

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Allison Malisa

113631684_10157732496686173_2006391546998886204_n - Alison Malisa

Nature and Forest Therapy
Also known as Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing, Nature and Forest Therapy is an invitation to connect with the beyond human world. The remarkable physiological and psychological benefits are well-documented, including: increased immunity, treating chronic disease and chronic pain, decreased depression and anxiety, and enhanced mood and creativity.

Cognitive Compass.
Cognitive Compass. Inspired by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the Cognitive Compass helps us to visualize our thought patterns and reorient more easily toward where we want to go: inward, onward, and upward, connecting to self, others, and Life.

Brainspotting
Brainspotting is based upon the idea that “Where we look affects how we feel”. The techniques are new and ancient, and can be practiced with a therapist or alone. This lay workshop is a simple introduction to how to make it work for yourself.

Arafa Iddi

arafa123

Is Yoga A Religion?
A deeply Igniting conversation exploring Patanjali’s yoga sutras 1.1 – 1.12. Understanding what yoga is and what it is not.

How Do We Practise Yoga?
Continuing the conversation with Patanjali’s yoga sutras 1.13 – 1.29. Now that we understand what yoga is, how do we practice it? And how do we inspire healing through the practice.

Journey into Power Yoga

Get grounded and let your body flow through the transformational practice of Baptiste power yoga.

 

 

 

Eirik Jarl Trondsen

EJT portrait by robert ellis copy

Affirmative Art was developed after the realization that unless we define our dream future, it is hard to achieve it. Well-wishers may try to advise us, but only we ourselves can know what is in our heart. Once we have clarity on vision doors start opening. Art is a powerful tool to help define our purpose and dream future.

Founded in East Africa, more than a decade ago it has since empowered the dream future of thousands of people in the USA, Europe, Asia and Africa. At the core is the drawing of the dream future. It is followed by a number of exercises on how to make it reality. The workshops will be held by Eirik Jarl Trondsen, the founder of Affirmative Art. He has conducted hundreds of workshops Internationally. Affirmative Art has been covered by media in numerous and become part of the school system in Romania, and is taught at numerous schools and other inst. in Europe, USA and Africa.

Allison Malisa

113631684_10157732496686173_2006391546998886204_n - Alison Malisa

Nature and Forest Therapy
Also known as Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing, Nature and Forest Therapy is an invitation to connect with the beyond human world. The remarkable physiological and psychological benefits are well-documented, including: increased immunity, treating chronic disease and chronic pain, decreased depression and anxiety, and enhanced mood and creativity.

Cognitive Compass.
Cognitive Compass. Inspired by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the Cognitive Compass helps us to visualize our thought patterns and reorient more easily toward where we want to go: inward, onward, and upward, connecting to self, others, and Life.

Brainspotting
Brainspotting is based upon the idea that “Where we look affects how we feel”. The techniques are new and ancient, and can be practiced with a therapist or alone. This lay workshop is a simple introduction to how to make it work for yourself.

Arafa Iddi

arafa123

Is Yoga A Religion?
A deeply Igniting conversation exploring Patanjali’s yoga sutras 1.1 – 1.12. Understanding what yoga is and what it is not.
How Do We Practise Yoga?
Continuing the conversation with Patanjali’s yoga sutras 1.13 – 1.29. Now that we understand what yoga is, how do we practice it? And how do we inspire healing through the practice.
Journey into Power Yoga
Get grounded and let your body flow through the transformational practice of Baptiste power yoga.

Eirik Jarl Trondsen

EJT portrait by robert ellis copy

Affirmative Art was developed after the realization that unless we define our dream future, it is hard to achieve it. Well-wishers may try to advise us, but only we ourselves can know what is in our heart. Once we have clarity on vision doors start opening. Art is a powerful tool to help define our purpose and dream future.

Founded in East Africa, more than a decade ago it has since empowered the dream future of thousands of people in the USA, Europe, Asia and Africa. At the core is the drawing of the dream future. It is followed by a number of exercises on how to make it reality. The workshops will be held by Eirik Jarl Trondsen, the founder of Affirmative Art. He has conducted hundreds of workshops Internationally. Affirmative Art has been covered by media in numerous and become part of the school system in Romania, and is taught at numerous schools and other inst. in Europe, USA and Africa.

Bella
Akello

Bella Akello

Bella Akello is a Yoga Teacher with expertise in Baptiste Power Yoga, Psychotherapeutic Yoga whereby Neuroscience meets Yoga and Traditional Yoga.

With her extensive search for knowledge and years of practice and teaching she has taken a much deeper dive into Breathwork specifically functional breathing and is pleased to share this with you.

 

Her classes will be a fusion of the above Yoga styles and a separate functional breathing workshop whereby one can get to work to uncover the body`s natural way of breathing and a few breathing techniques to help you deal with the day to day highs and lows of life.

 

Connection to oneself and others is the theme of these classes.

 

 

 

 

 

Brittanie Richardson

britt

Theatre For Activism
Kids: Is there something you really care about in our world? Animals? Climate change? Bullying? Equality?  Well then let’s make some noise about it! In this workshop we will use drama to speak up about the causes we care about. We will make performances that change minds and consequently change our world.

Adults: Do you have a cause that makes your heart burn? Is it sexism? Racism? Climate change? Patriarchy? Disability rights? Well this is the workshop for you. During our time together we will fan the flame of our hearts and create theatre about the causes we care about. We will use theatre as activism, as a vehicle to get the passion from inside of us and make it work to transform the world outside of us.

Telling Your Story Through Theatre
Kids: You are special and you have a story to tell! Come bring your story and let’s create our own personal performance pieces. You can use acting, poetry, singing, dancing, juggling, anything you want. It’s all about you! Creating performances from our stories will help us practice bravery, heal from things that have hurt us, and help us connect with others.

Adults: We all have a story to tell. Yes, even you! Sharing our stories creates hope and builds a feeling of connectedness with others. When we vocalize our truths and allow them to move through our bodies through the medium of theatre, we transmute them into healing energy. Let’s heal and create great theatre together!

Baya

Baya leaf

Justice Brian Baya –

Junior botanist- Energy and Mangrove officer at The LEAF Charity.

Education background: Environmental science

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bella
Akello

Bella Akello

Bella Akello is a Yoga Teacher with expertise in Baptiste Power Yoga, Psychotherapeutic Yoga whereby Neuroscience meets Yoga and Traditional Yoga.

With her extensive search for knowledge and years of practice and teaching she has taken a much deeper dive into Breathwork specifically functional breathing and is pleased to share this with you.

Her classes will be a fusion of the above Yoga styles and a separate functional breathing workshop whereby one can get to work to uncover the body’s natural way of breathing and a few breathing techniques to help you deal with the day to day highs and lows of life.

Connection to oneself and others is the theme of these classes.

Brittanie Richardson

britt

Theatre For Activism
Kids: Is there something you really care about in our world? Animals? Climate change? Bullying? Equality?  Well then let’s make some noise about it! In this workshop we will use drama to speak up about the causes we care about. We will make performances that change minds and consequently change our world.

Adults: Do you have a cause that makes your heart burn? Is it sexism? Racism? Climate change? Patriarchy? Disability rights? Well this is the workshop for you. During our time together we will fan the flame of our hearts and create theatre about the causes we care about. We will use theatre as activism, as a vehicle to get the passion from inside of us and make it work to transform the world outside of us.

Telling Your Story Through Theatre
Kids: You are special and you have a story to tell! Come bring your story and let’s create our own personal performance pieces. You can use acting, poetry, singing, dancing, juggling, anything you want. It’s all about you! Creating performances from our stories will help us practice bravery, heal from things that have hurt us, and help us connect with others.

Adults: We all have a story to tell. Yes, even you! Sharing our stories creates hope and builds a feeling of connectedness with others. When we vocalize our truths and allow them to move through our bodies through the medium of theatre, we transmute them into healing energy. Let’s heal and create great theatre together!

Baya

Baya leaf

Justice Brian Baya –

Junior botanist- Energy and Mangrove officer at The LEAF Charity.

Education background: Environmental science

Christine Pengilley

Pilates

Classic Mat Pilates
Build your core strength, improve your posture and increase your flexibility by incorporating pilates principles in a whole body workout that will leave you feeling energised and strong.

Restorative pilates
A gentle and mindful class designed to increase body awareness, improve balance and coordination while still continuing to strengthen the deep core muscles.

Kids Pilates
A fun and energetic class that will teach balance, control and agility to create better body awareness and increase body confidence.

 

Derek Olela

Fitness

Joined by Dickens Ogweno
Two wellness coaches from Weight Watchers Kenya

Nutrition Session a talk on importance of healthy eating and expound more on what is healthy eating

Dance Fitness A combination of Zumba, Afro beat, Ampiano , urban etc

Tabata /Cardio Boxing A combination of strength, cardio, endurance and abdominal workouts with inspiration from upbeat music

Bootcamp Unconventional training with tyres, kettlebells, battle ropes, slam bags etc

 

Edgar Kimathi

FB_IMG_1674301784457 - Edgar Kimathi

Edgar has been practicing the Vipassana meditation technique for the last 15 years. Vipassana is an insight meditation practice that allows one to develop an understanding of the nature of mind and body through personal experience.
Children’s Practices
1: Exploring the foundations of mindfulness – Practices: Solid as a Mountain, Bell, Weather
2: Kind heart Practices to connect with and care for each other – Practices: Flower Watering,
3: Monotasking Practices to train our attention – Practices: Starfish, Rabbit
Men’s Circle
A sharing circle and journey with music to connect and learn together. The intention of this circle is to collectively explore and heal deep self limiting and self defeating ways of being arising from cultural conditioning that hinder the full experience and expression of our sacred masculine energy. This circle will help deepen our connection with self and explore relationships, work and spirituality in a safe space. The evening may include meditation, grounding exercises and a musical / dance experience.
Biodanza workshop
A journey into movement and sound in a safe and supportive space for participants to explore and connect with their bodies, emotions, and creativity. In this dance of life, participants will experience a series of movements and experiences to tap into their inner reservoirs of trust, courage, peace, playfulness and love.

Erica Fjastad

Erica Arjuna

Sacred Sound Bath 
Experience the healing power of sound. A deep relaxation as the myriad of sounds transports the mind to stillness.

Kids Wonderful World of Puppets
With her array of various Puppets & marionettes , the kids will dance & parade ‘over hill & vale’ & have a glorious time!

She is also a healer in the healers space!

Forest Redlin

forest3

Baobab Climbing

Experience the ancient baobab in a whole new dimension! Secured with a rope and harness, venture into the upper canopy of a baobab tree. Exercise your mind and body as you weave your unique route along the curves and undulations created naturally on the trees bark over hundred of years!

Kids and Adults sessions available

Jean Sangale

Jean Sangale Breathwork

An experiential Breathwork journey through a number breathing techniques to ground, feel, ignite, practice love, find and hear yourself and open to knew understanding and inspiration.

Following the familiar chakra and element philosophies the journey will help you create a new relationship with your breath. You will learn fresh and intuitive ways to use your breath intentionally for – stress relief – mental and emotional realignment – tuning in for more joy, peace, love, wisdom, acceptance and courage – witness your story and it’s impact – Gain tools for transformation and clarity

Kevin Mwachiro

Kevin Mwachiro Sexuality

Like we don’t talk about sex enough! Here’s an opportunity to share, enlighten one another and delight in how contemporary sexuality is evolving.

Kevin Mwachiro is a writer, journalist, podcaster, and queer activist. Kevin’s first book is, Invisible – Stories from Kenya’s Queer Community. He was part of the editorial team for Boldly Queer – African Perspectives on Same-sex sexuality and gender diversity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lowry Achieng' Jahera

Lowry

Lowry Achieng’ (She/They) is a Psychotherapist, Art therapist, Yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner and Visual
artist based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is passionate about mental health advocacy practices in the community and has founded Mental Wellness Initiative Kenya, Self-care in the Park Festival and Undugu Mental health where she created a collaborative network with queer therapists and offers collective Trauma healing support through Art therapy, Music therapy, Yin Yoga, Reiki, Dance therapy and breathing therapy.

Trauma recovery through Art Therapy In this session Achieng’ will give an introduction to Art Therapy and teach on how to use Art therapy techniques for your own trauma recovery or to support others. She will facilitate two Art therapy activities.
Yin Yoga for stress release In this session, Achieng’ will incorporate mindfulness, deep stretches and breathwork and teach on how to use the techniques for stress and anxiety release.
Collective Care practices Achieng’ will lead a discussion on the significance of Collective Care in Africa, various collective care practices and how to utilize the practices as tools for community love.

Maurice Anyika Kimani

Maurice-Anyika-Kimani

Junior Soil Stewards (Soil – More than dirt)
This activity is designed to engage young learners aged from 7 – 13 years. The activity is intended to: 1- facilitate an observation of soil samples 2- help children understand how the qualities of soil can affect plant growth 3- identify the characteristics of different types of soil.


Soil Wellness Talk
 – Humanizing Soil
An interactive conversation around the well being of soil and how observing it from a compassionate lens of humanity, is the first step to radically speeding up its healing and championing its restoration back to a thriving ecosystem.


Compost Crafting.

The Art of Cooking Compost
Participants will be introduced to the biology behind composting and guided in creating recipes that will result in rich, biodiverse, soil food. A basic compost pile will be created from resources sourced from within the festival grounds.

Melina Moors

melina moors

Melina originates from Germany but relocated to Kenya in 2007, following her inner calling for a deeper sense of belonging and groundedness. Once she got hooked to yoga in 2015, her life started changing for the better and she soon yearned to deepen her knowledge – completing certifications in teaching multi-style yoga with Kanga Studio Nairobi; Yin yoga with renowned, UK-based teacher Norman Blair; and Thai Yoga Massage with Francisco Morales-Bermudez from Synergy Yoga.

Yin Yoga Immersion with Beanbags
Experience the amazing grounding influence of weighted beanbags on your state of being – as you journey inwards through a classic, calming, slow-paced Yin yoga sequence. Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Daoist principles, Yin yoga works into the deepest connective tissues of your body – the ligaments, joints, bones, deep fascia and the meridians. Yin yoga is known to enhance breath awareness, increase flexibility, alleviate tension, balance motions, boost circulation, reduce stress levels, promote relaxation, improve sleep and enhance mental focus.

Mercy Nasubo

Mercy Drumming Therapy

Drumming Therapy
Introduction to Music Therapy the history. – how it started and how it has been incorporated into the education system

What happens to ones brain when listening to music?

Benefits of Music as a tool for mental health , wellness and restoration

Introduction to Hard and Soft Percussion and its link to Mental health, healing and wellness.

Followed by a practical session

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Maya Siag

Maya Siag

Dr. Maya Siag (Ph.D.) is a Psychologist & Hypnotherapist, trained in wide range of methods and techniques combining psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and brain based techniques, adopting the most effective methods with fast results.
In Kisima Festival Dr. Maya will be Offering Hypnotherapy sessions known as Rapid Transformational Therapy.

The Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) is a pioneering therapy based on neuroscience that offers fast, effective results by combining the most beneficial principals of Hypnotherapy, Psychotherapy, Neuro linguistic programming, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
RTT delivers extraordinary, permanent change from physical, emotional and psychological pain by reframing our core beliefs, values, habits and emotions that are deep in the subconscious.
RTT offers unparalleled results. It works rapidly and removes the need for continuous therapy sessions. A single session can achieve powerful results for a range of issues and it can be applied to both children and adults. More complicated issues and conditions may require up to three RTT sessions.

Mwara Kung'u

Mwara

Mwara Kung’u is a Kenyan digital artist, entrepreneur and a university lecturer in film & animation at Multimedia University, in Rongai, Nairobi. Mwara grew up in Uthiru, a semi rural suburb of Nairobi, and felt the absence of lives like hers in the cartoons on TV. She designed the Almasi project while bringing up toddlers in London, UK, and wishing for the Kenyan sun & the outdoors for the children to play in. She came home in 2010 to train animators and make the series.

Almasi is a 2D animated series for children by students & graduates at Multimedia University. It’s about four children, Almasi & her cousins, playing in the greatest outdoor playground in the world, Kenya. During the series Almasi will visit different environments all over Kenya, having exciting magical adventures to inspire urban children & parents to go play outdoors. The adventures in begin in Watamu, at Mida Creek. Episode 1 & 2 are on YouTube, and there’s a companion set of NFTs on Opensea, and Almasi T shirts and other merchandise are available on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter at AlmasiNFTs, and on Facebook and Instagram at The Almasi Project.

Making a Thaumatrope/ Persistence of vision. Age 6 upwards. Adults are asked to attend if children are under 8yrs. Making a Victorian spinning toy. Drawing & cutting with scissors.
Making a flip book. Age 10 upwards, also interesting for adults. Making a 100frame animation in a flipbook. Drawing and thinking skills.

Narissa Allibhai

dav

Sound healer, conscious community gatherer, backpacking blogger, meditator on rocks, giver of loving hugs, simple soul of love.

Also known as Earth Child, Narissa practices sound healing with the Himalayan singing bowls, a form of Nada Yoga that she continues her lifelong study of in Nepal. Her tools of sound/vibrational alchemy also include the Indian bamboo flute (bansuri), African kalimba, rattles, shakers, Vietnamese dragon gong, and voice. Narissa is also a certified Hatha yoga, pranayama and meditation teacher.

She works with the earth energy as guide and channel, and will connect with you from a deep space of love.

Chakra Sound Healing – Sound healing and chakra clearing guided meditation with the Himalayan singing bowls, Vietnamese dragon gong, African kalimba, voice, rattles and Indian bamboo flute.
Shamanic Sound Journey – A sound ceremony with the Tibetan singing bowls, Vietnamese dragon gong, African kalimba, voice, rattles and Indian bamboo flute. Lie down and allow your body and mind to be soothed into a deep meditation and sound journey guided by the healing sounds and vibrations.
Collaborative ancestral healing ceremony with Charlie Smiles

Ngala Chome

Kwani_ Event

NGALA CHOME is an award-winning writer, historian, and social scientist. Born and raised in Mombasa, his work examines the modern history of the Kenyan coast.

His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as African Affairs, Critical African Studies, Afrique Contemporaine amongst others. His op-ed and non-fiction work has appeared on The Elephant, Kenya’s the Standard, Foreign Policy, the New African magazine, Enkare Review, and the Chimurenga Chronic.

 

Join Ngala at KISIMA for:
An informal and fun talk on Mijikenda history.
A moderated discussion over Swahili/Mijikenda identities, and the question of coastal marginalization within wider Kenyan politics
This session will include poetry performances and a Q&A session

 

 

 

 

 

Paula Mujer Naturaleza

Paula Mujer Naturaleza

Tantra and Sacred Sexuality Tantra understands Sexuality as something Sacred, as a part of us that needs to be integrated again. In this workshop we are going to give a deeper and elevated meaning to sex, to penetration… Sacred Sexuality is the dance of polarities… the masculine and feminine energies, it is the sacred marriage that must first occur within us.

 

Ovarian Breathing, Feminine Alchemy In this workshop we are going to experience this breathing system based on tantric techniques, which integrates breathing, movement and meditation, in which we come into contact with our consciousness, sexual and heart energies, move and transmute them, making alchemy to heal and manifest what is necessary in our life.

 

Women’s Circle It will be a Sacred Space for expression of the Divine Feminine and remembering healthy ways of relating to each other, supporting each other to heal, grow, awaken and remember the feminine energy and power within ourselves. A space for the expression of Femininity.
4.Uterine Memories Healing Our uterine memories are records of information that we receive while we are in our mother’s womb, not only of the DNA of our mother, father and ancestors, but of everything that happens from the moment of conception. For this reason, we arrive with a lot of information, the effects of which can be manifested throughout our lives. In this workshop, all women and men, we are going to enter this field of information to explore and heal.

Paula Schmiedel

Paula

Yoga for adults
Will start with a short meditation to strengthen the connection to the body and its wisdom – the intuition. After a warm up of the joints we come into a flow of sunsalutations. With additional asanas we then built up in intensity and flow into our peak pose. To come back into a calmer energy we use grounding asanas and end the class with savasana and meditation.

Playing with sun and moon energy
Start with calm moon energy, turning inwards with a short meditation to reconnect with our body’s sensation, calming our mind. After warming up the joints we then flow slowly into suns energy, increasing heat in our body. Within the flow we will play with those oppsite energies, adding yin yoga asanas in between challenging yang yoga asanas.
Theme: Flow like water
In this class we connect to the water element, allowing everything to flow. With a breathing exercise in the beginning we turn inwards to connect with ourselves and bring awareness to our breathing. For the flow of sun salutations she will introduce ujjayi breathing; the oceans breath.

Kids Yoga
In this class we begin with a breathing exercise. For the children to easier comprehend she will give associative pictures like a balloon in the belly, and different animals for the asanas. With the flow we train balance and focus as well as boost self esteem and playfulness. To cultivate mindfullness of their bodys I will encourage them to express how and where they feel sensations during different asanas.

Peter Frederick Moll

Peter Frederick Moll

Children Session
Unwrap your Gift
This session will walk the children through understanding they all have a gift and no one else can take this gift. They all need to understand how to unwrap it. They need to IGNITE within to serve their gift to the world.

Are you a Superhero?
This session will help the children create their own idea of what a superhero is, first starting with what they think a superhero is, then thinking of themselves as superheroes and then coming together to understand their true power to IGNITE change in society.

Panel Sessions
Why does what divide us get more attention than what connects us? How do we amplify what connects us?
The lost generation – How do we RE IGNITE the fire in the youth (everyone)?
What does change look like in 2023?

Hope In Action In this day and age hope is the most priceless thing we have, more valuable than oil
or gold, but how do we get hope and then how do we get it to take action?

Diversity Of Life The truest essences of our existence is the power of our diversity; if the world was
not diverse would it be as colourful? Painting a sunset would not look as beautiful without all the mergers of colours; same goes for innovation, creation, solutions all need diversity. Here we talk about the power of Ubuntu to have the values to make diversity our super power and not our isolation prisons.

Rebecca Franceskides

Rebecca Meditation

Talk & meditation
Finding inner peace. A journey into self.
Freeing yourself from your inner voice, stream of thinking and emotions to a deeper level of awareness and connection to the self and your inner power.

Finding Inner Peace; a journey into self
She proposes a journey of discovering who we are in essence by transcending thought and identity with the ‘doing” self. If we no longer derive our identity, our sense of who we are, from the stream of thinking, beliefs and endless emotions, what is left? A liberation that ‘the voice in my head” is not who I am. An understanding that our essence is the awareness prior to thought, the space or stillness in which thought, emotion and even sense perception happens. We will explore deeper the choice we have over our thoughts and emotions, and the importance of going beyond the polarity of good and bad, gain and loss, to a deeper dimension that transcends the person. A thought only becomes powerful when we give it our attention and with that, we create our beliefs. A heart brain coherence meditation, at the end, will open the way to communicate with the sub-conscious where so much of our surface identity is stored, in a language that it recognises, and enter the quantum field where all possibilities already exist and manifestation is possible.

Having studied and practiced with different spiritual teachers and shamans, mainly in Europe, she have developed a unique style of mixing transformative meditation, hands on healing and crystals to energize chakras, balance energy and connect to the heart essence with the final goal of finding joy, inner calmness, and mental clarity.

Roomani Shah

IMG_2029 - Roomani Shah

Roomani Shah is a certified sound therapist from India and has a bachelor’s degree in law and has pursued courses in modern psychology, talk therapy, Buddhism and Positive psychology.
She has trained, coached and conducted multiple workshops for women, teachers and young individuals on various self-awareness techniques. As her day job, she is the Sound therapist at Karuna Studio. She consults at Mindful Venture a start-up Empowering Impact-focused individuals and businesses to grow and create seemingly impossible. She helps her husband in his Water business and coaches a few amazing young individuals and sits on the Ugandan board of trustees at Soft Power education.

At heart, she is a traveller who is obsessed with self-growth, an oversharer who has grown a keen interest in understanding the positive psychology of people, understanding what makes people happy and wants to spend her life trying to understand the science of happiness and well being and how she can increase the level of well-being and happiness in people and make the world a Happy Place. She hopes to be the change she wants to see in the world

At Kisima Festival she is offering sessions on the river of life and mindsets, tibetan sound healing and a collaborative sound, drumming, dance and fire session with Mercy Nasubo

 

 

Saddy Yusuf

Saddy Aerial Silk

It’s a gravity defying creative movement featuring a column of fabric rigged overhead. The fabric offers a full body workout and assists in lengthening, stretching and strengthening.
You will learn how to wrap the silks around your body to reach cool poses that will really improve your flexibility.
You will get so much freedom in the air with the silks, with a plethora of positions and movements that will help to boost your health.

You will learn how to climb which will ignite your core and engage most of your muscles.
Inversions are effortless and will help to decongest the spine giving you an amazing overall feeling after class.

Aerial silks is also a great tool for anyone with acrophobia(fear of heights) as it safely introduces you to different height challenges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shayur Shah

Shayur2

Biodanza
Biodanza is a facilitated music and movement journey that creates a space for personal expression, self-discovery and connection. The music is carefully chosen to support this journey and the facilitator guides participants through a series of themes – each with their own quality – in a safe and supportive way. Together, the elements of music, movement and facilitation provide us with a powerful experience to connect with our bodies, emotions and creativity, and to cultivate a sense of joy, freedom, vitality, and wellbeing.

Contact Improvisation
Contact Improvisation is a dance form that involves spontaneous and collaborative movement with a partner or group. It’s a beautiful way to discover the joy of movement and connection! We’ll explore the intelligence and creativity that is inherent in our body and express ourselves through movement and music while also improving our physical and emotional well-being. This experience will help you learn to trust your body, communicate through touch, and connect with others in a safe and supportive environment.

Kids’ Music and Dance Workshop
This workshop is designed to get kids moving, grooving, and having a blast while they learn about music, rhythm, and movement. Through a series of fun and interactive activities, children will explore their creativity, enhance their awareness of their body, and express themselves through music and dance.

Shiny Tinghe

Shiny Breathwork

Adult’s sessions:
Our Breath is the most powerful tool we have to change the way we think and feel. Start your festival morning with a guided SOMA Breath Daily Dose session. This 45 minute breathwork session is made up of 3 rounds of fast rhythmical breathing, breath retentions and meditation visualisatiom.

A SOMA Breath Awakening session takes you deep into your subconscious mind, designed to help you unlock your true potential. This 60 minute breathwork session will include powerful intention setting practice and transformative breathwork techniques, raising your emotional energy to high self-esteem and confidence and creating motivation and drive towards achieving your goals. All designed to energize the body and clear the mind, allowing you to step fully into the present.

Children’s session
Children naturally breath deeply, using their belly to breath. This diaphragmatic breathing has many mental and physical health benefits. Sadly, as we get older, stress starts to take hold and we pick up bad breathing habits. This is why it’s so important to inspire the practise of conscious breathing in young children. Breathing is a simple but powerful tool to give your child’s brain and body what it needs! Encourage your child to take part in a short dynamic breathing session made up of music, movement, storytelling, and meditation, all incorporating the breath!

Sitawa Namwalie

Sitawa Namwalie

Cut off My Tongue will leave you speechless.

It rants, sweats, bellows, laughs out loud and breaks into song and dance. Cut off My Tongue is a series of interrelated poems that combine music and movement to explore the truths that shape modern our lives as Africans.

What is this fixation with land? What are the secret conversations we have about other tribes? Have you had an encounter with the police, at night, what happened? We know what we think about our leaders, but what do our leaders think about us? Cut off my Tongue brings humour and frightening honesty as it tells on us, as it shares our secrets and the things we say in our private spaces that give us our public expressions.

Sitawa will perform silence is a woman, and also do a talk/ workshop on the psychology of blame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thania Paffenholz

Thania Paffenholz

World healing (brain session)
Our world is in chaos, with increased armed conflicts, the dire effects of climate change and exclusionary politics that further exacerbate inequalities. What can be done by all of us to heal the world and make it a more inclusive and prosperous place to live in? This is what this session is about. It is a mix of a talk and an interactive conversation.

World healing (spiritual session)
What can we individually and collectively do to heal the world that is in chaos, with increased armed conflicts, the dire effects of climate change and exclusionary politics that further exacerbate inequalities. We want to go deeper in this spiritual session to feel and experience how to heal the world and make it a more inclusive and prosperous place to live in? The interactive spiritual session consists of a short discussion, a guided meditation and a world healing ritual.

Kids session, World healing: (10 years & up)
The objective of the session is to inspire kids to think and feel how they can make the world a better place. The session is a mix of collecting ideas and using senses to produce action among kids to understand how the world can be supported with the eyes and action of kids.

Neha

Neha Profile close up - Neha Erasmus

Neha is a Shaman, Seer, Teacher, Facilitation & Advisor.
Neha works at the intersection of spirituality and our physical world. She connects the knowledge and practice of spirituality to the transformation of personal, social and global realities.

She will be offering 3 classes & workshops
DESIRE AND DESTINY Where are you going in your life? How do you know if you’re on the right path? What is the highest potential for you life? In this class Neha will reveal the teachings of Divine Design and help you understand more deeply how to work with Desire to fulfill your Destiny.
BACK TO THE FUTURE Our heritage, traditions and lineage held deep and vast bodies of knowledge and wisdom, which we are now returning to, and which is now being validated by modern science and knowledge. But is the answer to our future to simply go back to the past? Or is it deeper than that?In this talk, Neha will explore pathways to the evolution of human consciousness in our life and in the world.
ABUNDANCE Did you know that abundance is a birthright? Not for some of us, but for all of us…Did you know that you can access it anytime you want? And that right now the earth is calling for us to step into it and to create more in the world… Join this workshop with Neha to innerstand what abundance is, experience it for yourself and learn tools and practices to walk your journey to fulfilling it.

Viral Gutka

Viral Gutka

Primal Self Workout Part 1 & 2

A high intensity movement based class where participants experience getting in touch with their primal selves through a sequence of various postures that are held for 20-45 seconds.

This class will consist of a warm up; sets of postures like frog squats, star fish jumping jacks, and donkey kicks to name a few; and a workout that focuses on core building all while intentionally breathing.

Beginner and Hardcore versions are available to suit your specific needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waringa Wagema

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Self Care Made Simple (Adults)

Self care made Simple is a 4-step guided process that will give you access to a sustained life long self care practice.

Self care made Simple is a 4-step guided process that combines conversation, breathwork, body work and an emotional freedom technique that will give you access to a sustained life long self care practice.

Self Care Made Simple (Kids)

Self care made Simple will assist your child to understand how their brains work by using a fun crafting project, play and a simple breathing exercise that your child can easily access for self emotional regulation.

Zep Ouma

zep

Full Body Trauma release Yin session

This is a session that brings us into connecting with our bodies and mind, slowing down from our busy schedules and listen to ourselves through a release session of trauma and uncertain stored in our bodies and mind. We will be holding poses between 3 to 7minutes, giving us a full experience of getting to our deep tissues and release all stored traumas

Metta meditation
A meditation that brings us back home through self love, self compassionate and self kindness. It’s a practice that reminds to refill our cups. Most times we pour on other people’s cups, and forget to pour back to ours, this meditation it to bring us back home, sending love, kindness, compassionate back to ourselves. I love to call it a recharge meditation

Peaceful kids yoga

Zippy Kimundu

zippy

Integration of healing, mindfulness, advocacy in cinema:
A 60-minute interactive audio-visual journey with Filmmaker Zippy Kimundu

Zippy is the Co-founder of ‘The Terrace Residency Kilifi’, Afrofilms International and I’ll Tell you my Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mlati Ochieng

mlati

Mlati Ochieng is an Ecologist and Entrepreneur currently working in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest ecosystem.

His areas of interest are protected areas management, community conservation, conservation technology and green enterprises.

 

 

 

 

Thomas

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Thomas Sagimo, a marine biologist, currently working as a coastal operation assistant at Ocean Sole Africa.

He has vast experience in sea turtle conservation and currently working towards plastic waste management, community empowerment programs, and raising awareness among the local community and younger generation on waste management and marine conservation.

He is optimistic about the future only if we take action for a sustainable environment.

 

Munjuree

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Munjuree is a multidisciplinary dancer who has done choreography work with artists, performed across multiple venues in Kilifi and teaches his love for dance at Distant Relatives Kilifi every Thursday and at Pwani University too.

Part of the amazing Whispers Dance Crew, he is available for private dance classes, choreography work and as a contracted dancer for your event or music video, Munjuree’s versatility and dance flow is a memorable experience.

 

Dr Amos Lewa

amos lewa 2

DR. Amos Lewa Mwavita PhD Medical Biochemist (Pharmacology & Pharmacognosy)
AFRICA IS SHE RIPE FOR HER CURES? – THE PHILOSOPHICAL ANGLE!
Medicine and medical practice is a philosophical phenomenon in all kingdoms of the world. The West, The East and Africa, each kingdom is influenced by their philosophical practices. Medical practice started during medieval periods and main sources for cure were herbs, foods and mineral agents.

Traditional medicine is the local practice of medicine in a specific domain or locality, the practice is deemed archaic, ethically unacceptable and against the western norm, the danger is even Africans will shout against any study done by Africans on herbal medicines calling them quark. It takes mind-set to realise Africa has medicinal resource able to cure virtually all her ailments. Africa is ripe with natural medicinal resources the question is, Africa is she ready to produce its own cures? Do African Scientists find value with their local medicinal resource? Do African governments find sense to support local initiatives?

Tamara

tamara

In yoga – as in life – she believes in trying, falling, laughing and getting up again. The foundation of my yoga is Vinyasa Flow – she loves flowing sequences and the fusion of movement and breath. Using the techniques of Vinyasa Flow, she has expanded my practice into SUP yoga, aerial yoga and acro-yoga; these styles give me the opportunity to experiment, to practise and to play.

 

At Kisima, Tamara is offering arm balance workshops:
Do you like to play? Do you like to try new things? Do you find that sometimes being upside-down is actually the right way up? These workshops are for you. You’ll start with a warm-up that focuses on wrists, core and shoulders, then you’ll try a few standing balances before moving into arm balances. During the session you will experiment with different ways of coming into the poses, and have time to practise the trickier ones. Expect some tumbles and lots of laughter.

Tendai Mtana

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Tendai Lewa Mtana is the Chair of the KAYA Advisory Board and has been involved in public private collaborations for the last 20 years. His vision for Africa is anchored on 3 aspects: affirming lives, enabling ability and facilitating positive partnerships. As the founding trustee of the Foundation for Law and Governance (FLAG), a trust that seeks to raise leaders across Africa, Tendai sits on a number of Boards as an adaptive leadership and public policy advisor. He is the author of; Ushemazoro, a pan-African governance model for sub-national governments, and is currently leading the Blue Savannah initiative.

 

From May 2013 to March 2023, Tendai was a member of the County Executive Committee (the County Government of Mombasa’s Cabinet) in charge of the Departments of Education, Environment and Blue Economy respectively. As an advocate of social justice within his community, Tendai is a champion of diligent governance.

Download the 2023 Schedule

Start planning your Kisima Weekend!
The schedule is subject to minor changes, please check back just before the event for the final schedule.