We have heard of Nyanza Literary Festival (NALIF).
We have heard of Wahome Mutahi Literary prize and Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature and many others but little is known about ALYP.
Act to liberate your potential (ALYP) Writers Organization is a national organisation headquartered in Siaya.
They have been conducting literary readings and staging art performances daily at Siaya cultural Centre (the compound which also houses Siaya Community Library) for over a year now.
The inaugural ALYP literary festival was launched officially last year on the 9th of December in Siaya town by Dr.Dorothy A.Owino who is the head of health department in the county government of Siaya.
Themed,”Liberating literary potential, “the literary festival was attended by published authors like Evelyne Ongogo, she who authored “Dichol and Other Poems,” Collins Odhiambo,the president of ALYP and the author of “Miss Pheromone”, a novella, “The Bell Ringer and Other short stories” published by Sahel Publishing Association and a series of “K.C.S.E Masterpieces Revision English paper 1, paper 2 and paper 3 and Bonifas Wasira who authored “Wisps of Dreams; a Gourmet of short stories.”
The festival was also attended by seasoned readers, up-coming writers, performing artists, and book-lovers.
We have had great writers emerging from Siaya County.
But when their names are mentioned, they not only sound old but they are truly old. Siaya County needs new names in the literary scene.
Of course, we have bloggers like Magunga William trying to keep the literary fire burning and authors like Collins Odhiambo (ALYP President) trying to mentor budding writers.
Their efforts will bear fruits.
Now with the inauguration of the ALYP literary festival, the journey to bring Siaya County back into the limelight of African literature has just started.
Apart from improving artistic expression through staging art performances, ALYP also aims at nurturing a generation of readers through their weekly book clubs.
The festival, as the ALYP President stated, will be held every year to celebrate both published and unpublished writers from Siaya County.