ActionAid Liberia and partners Host 2026 National Cultural Festival Renewing Call for the Empowerment of Women and Girls

ActionAid Liberia and partners over the weekend hosted the 2026th National Court of Festival at the SKD Gymnasium in Paynesville held under the theme “our cultural outright empowering women and girls. 

The festival celebrated Liberia's rich cultural heritage by promoting the empowerment, safety and wellbeing of women and girls. 

The event featured colorful performances by cultural troops from Bong, Margibi, Grand Gedeh, Gbarpolu, and Montserrado Counties showcasing the country's diverse traditions, through music, dance and drama, spoken and motivational words. 

The gathering brought togethers thousands of of Librarians, government officials, development partners and other stakeholders to celebrate the nation’s cultural identity and promote unity through cultural. 

Speakers at the event emphasized the importance of preserving Liberia's cultural heritage, while calling for stronger efforts to protect and empower women and girls across the country.

The Liberia's art and cultural ambassador, Kekura Kamara at the Festival reaffirmed the government’s commitment to promoting the country’s art and cultural heritage. Ambassador Kamara said the President’s July 26th declaration to reopen and modernize the Kendeja Cultural Center and the National Museum, demonstrates the government's dedication to preserving and promoting Liberia's rich cultural heritage, such that ActionAid and Partners have for the past years continue to demonstrate through the National Cultural Festival.

He first thanked ActionAid Liberia, Domafeign, NAPTAH, SAIL, WOCDAL, and LIWEN for organizing the National Cultural Festival. 

“We thank ActionAid for taking this initiative once again to celebrate Liberia’s Arts and Culture.” Ambassador Kamara said. He then promised to continue working with ActionAid. ““We appreciate you and we will continue to work with you. 

Speaking of the 2026th National Court of Festival over the weekend, Ambassador Kamara praised ActionAid Liberia for organizing the event and placed the government's commitment to collaborating with the organization to advance the country's cultural sector.

Meanwhile, Gbarpolu County Superintendents Sam Zinnah who served as the festival's orator underscored the uniqueness and importance of Liberia's diverse cultural heritage and encouraged families to pass on those positive cultural practices to the younger generation. 

The also frowned on some of the attituded exhibited by present day generation whom he said are not growing up upholding those strong cultural values that Liberia has. He blamed this solely on adults for not passing down those strong cultural values. 

But he stressed that holding such cultural events and educating the youthful generation about how to respect their elders, hold values that promote and advance communities’ core-existence.

Superintendents Zinnah encouraged the Liberian government to take on from ActionAid and partners by making the National Cultural Festival and Nationwide and global event that would attract Liberians and non-Liberians that can attract millions of dollars and that the festival be a tourist attraction annual event. 

National ownership of the National Cultural Festival, Superintendent Zinnah added would showcase Liberia’s rich cultural herniate to the world. 

“I recommend that what ActionAid has introduced should continue and I ask the government to make this program a national program where people can come from outside to come and see and pay some money and we can earn millions and billions of dollars and show the world our culture. He said. .” Zinnah told the audience at the festival. 

He added by saying, “Who has seen someone put fire in their trouser and in their mouth and it does not burn them, but we have seen it happening here at this festival.” He said with passion.  

He concluded by saying, investing and add the national cultural festival to the country’s tourism sector and program will attract funding and can contribute hugely to Liberia’s revenue generation to reduce the country’s dependent on aid all the time. 

“We need to make good use of what we have to make money instead of depending on external people for aid to fix bridges, or we need aid to support program, we have what it takes to raise fund just from this cultural festival. Superintendent Zinnah concluded or oration