- The concept is inspired by the architecture of the Elmolo community.
- There are four main pillars in this virtual portal: Sports, Culture, Tourism, and Trade.
Digital technology adoption has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As society is forced to adjust to a world where most physical interaction is impossible or limited, virtual engagement is becoming increasingly popular.
The Ministry of Sports, Culture, and Heritage took on the mantle to develop a virtual portal where people could learn about Kenya's sports, tourism, culture, and trade.
This innovative virtual hub is known as Kenya House. With this, anyone in any part of the world will be able to easily access reliable information about the country.
Once you get to the Kenya House virtual portal, you will observe that the concept is inspired by the architecture of the Elmolo community.
El Molo is the smallest ethnic group living on the southeast shore of Lake Turkana, in Kenya. Since living in an extremely windy region, the woven rim around the top of the house helps stabilise the thatch.
Kenya House embodies both the past and future. It honours a Nation rich in cultural heritage, forward-looking and very modern. It represents warmth, resilience, ingenuity, and the ability to adapt quickly to adversity.
There are four main pillars in this virtual portal: Sports, Culture, Tourism, and Trade.
The cultural pillar will teach you about Kenyan culture, including Turkana boy, Kenya's star fossil, interesting facts about Lake Turkana and Lake Turkana National Park, and why Kenya is called the cradle of mankind.
Kenya house features a wide array of sports heroes, such as soccer, volleyball, safari rally, and boxing. Moreover, it provides useful information on a number of major sporting events, as well as interesting facts about the sports stars who have made Kenya famous.
You can virtually explore Kenya's beautiful scenery and landmarks through the tourism pillar. From the peaks of Kenya's tallest mountain, Mount Kenya, to the Maasai Mara, home to the eighth wonder of the world and a place where you can see the big five and other wildlife.
During the tour, you will also get a chance to explore the coastal area and learn where to stay and what fun activities are waiting for you along the coast.
The trade pillar covers some of the fastest-growing categories within the multi-sector industry. Kenya House trade exhibition consists of five distinct categories: Curio crafts, Jua Kali products, Leatherworks, Textiles, and Value Added Food products.
Kenya House aims to connect local companies with investors and customers.
Located centrally, Kenya is also east Africa's largest economy and a regional financial and transportation hub.
At the virtual house, you will be able to explore energy, manufacturing, transport, health, and ICT investment opportunities in the country.
GOOGLE ART & CULTURE
Last year, Fast Company, Google Arts & Culture teamed up with over 2500 museums and galleries around the world to bring anyone and everyone virtual tours and online exhibits of some of the most famous museums around the world.
Some of the most famous museums found in the Google Arts & Culture collection include the British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, and literally hundreds of more places where you can gain knowledge about art, history, and science.
Although it took shape during the Covid-19 crisis, Google Arts & Culture initiative which first launched in 2011 has recorded success in several countries across the globe.
For instance, the Musée du Louvre in Paris has reported a tenfold increase in web traffic, from 40,000 to 400,000 visitors per day.
Visits to the websites of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London are also up by huge multiples.
Audiences are seeking out arts material for children — the Metropolitan Museum of Art reports an elevenfold uptick to MetKids, its youth education initiative.
While this is picked, quality is still a concern, with visitors challenging museums to replicate online the exact experience of visiting in person.
CHALLENGES
Even though thy have been trying for two decades, and the pictures have certainly gotten crisper, in too many cases, virtual museum walk-throughs remain unwieldy, with herky-jerky navigation and information is often out of date.