Kenya recently hosted an Ethereum (ETH) festival, ETHSafari, also known as the greatest ETH event which attracted numerous crypto experts and enthusiasts in Africa. The event was a week-long extravaganza stretching from 18th to 24th September 2022. The event can be equated to crypto Nyege Nyege, a festival built on love, resilience, and a strong passion for crypto. 

ETHSafari is a combination of two words: ETH, which in the crypto world symbolizes Ethereum, and Safari which is “journey” in Swahili hence, as the name implies, we were taken on a journey of understanding the present and future of decentralization. I must say, the journey was a strong magnetic pull into the crypto world.

With a special emphasis on the benefits of Web3 and blockchain, the event brought together an auspicious group of over 1,000 people from Africa and around the world to learn, hack, discuss and build a better-decentralized present and future from the heart of East Africa and more so, celebrate the Ethereum ecosystem.

Polygon, Celo, Emurgo Africa, Ethereum foundation, World Coin, Filecoin foundation, Algorand,  UTU, African Blockchain Institute, Bitlipa, Impact Plus, DAO planet, and Encode Club were some of the partners and sponsors of ETHSafari.

The 7-day event was filled with different experiences exploring the crypto, blockchain, and NFT industries. I, for one, could not afford to miss this event, and will graciously proceed to update you on the events that took place. So, let me take you on the ETHSafari, the greatest Ethereum event in the world.

Day 1:
On 18th September, the ETHSafari doors opened with an Artstorm bus tour and an ETHSafari Hackathon hosted in partnership with Encode club. My first few hours at the venue saw at least a dozen sociable strangers at the festival greeting me with a spontaneous “hi” accompanied with swift hugs and handshakes.

The hackathon was launched for startups creating great ideas and solutions with Web3 technology. Some of the hackathon challenges included the Coinbase wallet challenge which consisted of building Dapp solutions that can help bring the next 100 million users into Web3, the Filecoin challenge which required innovators to build solutions that integrate Filecoin, and the tenderly challenge which required creating solutions to any engineering problem in the Web3 space.

Day 2 and 3

On Day 2 and day 3, we managed to catch a number of side events, including a boot camp hosted at Afyarekod campus in Nairobi by Impact plus, community meetups and activities in Mukuru Kayaba and Kibera led by Grassroots Economics, and a thrilling Artstorm NFT artists exhibition. 

At the bootcamp, Impact plus showcased the different solutions that the company has been able to innovate with blockchain. The enterprise explained that it is using blockchain technology to pave the way toward solving fundamental societal problems. Impact Plus also stated that it seeks to increase the number of women in tech careers because women are confident and can play a vital role in the industry.

During the community meetups, we were taken to local communities to explore how small businesses are utilizing blockchain technology to advance their businesses and more so for financial inclusion. We engaged with a few small business owners who commented that with the Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) offered by Grassroots Economics, they have been able to directly connect with their target audience, which is the low-income earners.

“We have been able to directly meet our customers through this platform. In addition, we have been able to earn from the Sarafu token through the discounts and the vouchers given when you sign up on the system.” Nancy Njambi, a small business owner.

Day 4:

On day 4, we were blown away by the Trust graphic novel and motion comic launch party led by Anne Connelly and Graphics illustrator and author, Chief Nyamwenya. The graphic novel, TRUST is an interesting read of a young whistleblower, Moraa, who uncovers a plot by one of the most powerful men in the country to illegally acquire the oil-rich Olorur Valley in Wahengaland. With the help of her community and blockchain technology, she goes on a perilous journey to protect her homeland, the last autonomous region in the country from cultural and ecological destruction at the hands of the ruthless oligarch. The graphic novel hopes to teach younger children about the benefits of blockchain technology.

Day 5:

On Day 5, we were engaged in a 6-hour blockchain tour at Madaraka express, from Nairobi through the Kenyan Savannah and Tsavo National Park with views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, to Mombasa, where we finally settled in Kilifi county. We had an actual safari on the train. We were astonished by the sight of the Kenyan Savannah and giraffes, elephants, and zebras in Tsavo National park. 

A two-day conference hosted at Beneath the Baobabs in Kilifi followed. This was an unconventional setup in a  Baobab forest.

A few visitors chose to stay in camp tents in the Baobabs while others chose to reside in the hotels nearby with a view of the beach and the Indian ocean. The attendees were all given tags and T-shirts for easy identification.

The conference convened global and local players and it aimed at strengthening bonds in the crypto ecosystem. As an attendee, it was hard to not embrace the infectious free-spirited vibe at Beneath the Baobabs. People were laid-back, extremely nice, kind, and sociable. 

The conference consisted of different panel discussions, and exhibitions from different ecosystem players such as Celo, Impact plus, Near Protocol Kenya, and BlackRhino VR, among others. Some of the topics discussed included: opportunities for brands and creators in the open metaverse, creating a regenerative economy through Defi in Africa, breaking up the Web3 eco chamber, sustainable Defi tokenomics, diversity in Web3, NFTs in East Africa, and engaging children in blockchain technology.  

Personally, I found the event quite a success, insightful, and much-needed enlightenment for a young crypto enthusiast like myself.

Other participants shared their feedback on Twitter, appreciating ETHsafari for planning the riveting experience.

@ETHSafari was amazing. Got to bump into crypto and tech ros and sistas Cc @oaksupreme @kn9ts @Theo_mwangi @MollOfAmerika @geoist_ @tamaraRingas @morte_chs @kagondu_yvonne @JeropCRYPTO @SianoiKimari y'all made the event ROCK!

Looking forward to the next event! 💯

— G2TMFBOSS 🇰🇪🇺🇬 (@norman_gabu) September 24, 2022

Some of the industry players also expressed that the meetup was important, especially because there is a gap to fill in ecosystem building, especially in the crypto industry. 

Ethereum Foundation Africa Fellow and an instigator of ETHSafari, Benson Njuguna said,

“ETHSafari is a one-of-a-kind ETH event, the first of its kind in East Africa supported by ecosystem builders and platforms across the globe and within Africa. The huge community support shows there’s huge interest in the space and we’re excited to be here in 2022. We have come to fill a gap in ecosystem building while setting the stage for many future ETHSafari events around the continent.”

However, many participants were left wondering whether this exciting experience will be hosted more often, and periodically either annually or bi-annually. ETH Safari is yet to confirm when #ETHSafari2023 will be hosted.

The event concluded with an action-packed festival with cocktails. ETH Safari lived up to being a jaw-dropping experience, especially for those exploring the crypto journey.