The festival comprised a series of cultural and educational activities aimed at informing the public about the impact of human actions on the ocean. Organised by EUNIC Kenya and coordinated by the Alliance Française de Mombasa with the support of the French Embassy, the festival highlighted cooperation between the European Union and a Kenyan crucial subject, the ocean.

The EUNIC Mombasa Ocean Festival follows on from various other initiatives organised by the Alliance Française de Mombasa over the past three years: Blue Economy Week (July 2021), the first two editions of the festival in June 2022 and 2023, and science-cafés on the theme of the ocean.

The festival's impact

The main aim of the festival was to raise public awareness, particularly among children and young people, about the threats to marine ecosystems. The programme included inter-school competitions on the theme of the ocean, Ocean Movie Night, a Theatre for the Environment Day, an environmental film-making workshop, photography exhibitions, visits to laboratories and meetings with scientists. Furthermore, numerous activities were organised in public and private schools as part of the outreach component of the festival.

A significant focus of the festival’s activities was on engaging public schools, with the primary aim of raising awareness and empowering students to better understand their environment and the marine ecosystem. These efforts included introducing disadvantaged children to inspiring role models, such as some of Kenya's leading marine scientists, leaving a lasting impression on the next generation.

In addition to that, 64 teachers were trained through workshops led by ocean experts and equipped to incorporate ocean literacy into their teaching. These initiatives are expected to inspire future marine scientists and conservationists, fostering a deeper connection to ocean preservation among Kenya's youth.

Beyond the actions carried out during the 5-day event, the Festival made it possible to create a platform to give visibility to associations/NGOs/ CBOs working in environmental protection and to connect them with public authorities and the private sector.

This year's festival featured French double bass player Bernard Abeille, Comorian singer Maalesh and Kenyan jazz musician Eddie Grey. Around thirty public and private schools took part in the activities. To promote ocean sciences in school curricula, UNESCO Ocean literacy courses were also offered to around 30 teachers in the city.

Blue Talks

The festival concluded with a Blue Talks round table discussion on the interface between scientists and public decision-makers when it comes to protecting the ocean. Moderated by the Deputy Permanent Representative of the French Embassy to the UN, the round table brought together the Governor of Lamu County, Issa Timamy, the Costa Rican Ambassador to Kenya, Giovanna Valverde, a researcher from the KMFRI (Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute), Jacqueline Uku, and a representative of UNEP, Sinikinesh Jimma.

It was a great pleasure to be part of the Mombasa Ocean Festival and to moderate the Blue Talks and to discuss the very important topic of strengthening the role of science and scientists in environment-related policy development and decision making.

Clement Payeur, Embassy of France - Deputy permanent representative at the UN

The discussion, which was attended by local authorities and ambassadors from the EU, France and Germany, initiated a process of consultation with local maritime stakeholders with a view to their participation in UNOC-3 (United Nations Ocean Conference - Nice 2025).