ActionAid Liberia & Partners Set to Host Biggest Cultural and Women Empowerment Festival
Monrovia, Liberia – July 30, 2026 – ActionAid Liberia in collaboration with DOMAFEIGN, LIWEN, WOCDAL, NATPAH, and SAIL and support from the Embassy of Sweden, have set August 1,2026 to host the country biggest festival. The event titled: “2026 National Cultural Festival” will take place at the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex Gymnasium in Paynesville. Organizers say the event is free and open to the public.
This year’s Festival to be held under the theme, “Our Culture, Our Pride: Empowering Women and Girls,” is expected to bring together traditional leaders, cultural practitioners, government institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, youth groups, women, artisans, and communities from across Liberia to celebrate the country’s rich cultural heritage while promoting positive cultural values that advance the rights, dignity, and empowerment of women and girls.
Now in its third year, the National Cultural Festival is organized under ActionAid Liberia’s Just and Equal Communities (JEC) Project. The festival celebrates Liberia’s cultural diversity beyond harmful traditional practices by showcasing inspiring stories of women who have transitioned to sustainable livelihoods and are now promoting positive change within their communities and are not empowering fellow women and leading advocacy.
Festival attendees will experience a vibrant display of Liberia’s cultural richness through traditional dance, music, storytelling, spoken word, arts and crafts exhibitions, cultural exchange booths, gallery walks, traditional fashion, country cloths, and authentic Liberian cuisine. Visitors will also have the opportunity to purchase locally produced handicrafts and country cloths made by women from the Traditional Arts School in Gbarma, Gbarpolu County, and women from Kamara Town, Po River and from other project counties and other parts of the country.
Speaking ahead of the event, Elizabeth Gbah Johnson, Country Director of ActionAid Liberia, said: “This National Cultural Festival with Gbarpolu being the lead host is celebrating the main impact and transformation of ActionAid and partners work across the 5 JEC implemented counties. It is a platform for showcasing the positive values that unite our communities while demonstrating that culture can be a powerful force for advancing the rights, dignity, and economic empowerment of women and girls. We invite every Liberian to join us in celebrating the richness of our culture and the inspiring stories of transformation taking place across our communities.”
The festival also aims to strengthen collaboration among communities, traditional leaders, government institutions, and civil society while promoting awareness of gender equality, social justice, and sustainable community development through culture.
ActionAid Liberia has therefore named Gbarpolu County Superintendent, Hon. Sam Zinnah as the keynote speaker for this year’s festival.
ActionAid Liberia is a human rights and social justice organization working in Liberia since 1997 to advance the rights of women, children, young people, and marginalized communities through a human rights-based and feminist approach. Under its Just and Equal Communities (JEC) Project, ActionAid works with partners to promote gender equality, social justice, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and community-led development across five counties in Liberia.
For additional information, members of the media and the public may contact the Festival Secretariat through ActionAid Liberia.
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