Preparations for the first ever Ubumuntu Arts Festival are underway. The first of its kind in Rwanda, the Ubumuntu Arts Festival is an art-centric festival inspired by and created for the sake of humanity.
The festival slogan is, "I am because you are, you are." Art is a powerful form of communicating, sharing, expressing opinions, airing issues, emotions and values about all aspects of life that affect humanity. However, in many parts of the world, either by omission or commission, art has not been given the importance it deserves both at policy, educational, and practice levels.
For instance, in Africa and indeed Rwanda, art is often seen as an extracurricular activity as a way to pass time, as mere entertainment and not as an avenue to share, open up and have civic dialogue.
Art played a crucial role in tackling Rwanda's immense post genocide challenges. From genocide perpetrators giving truthful testimonies, to victims forgiving perpetrators, art was and can still be part of a solution to issues confronting Rwanda, the same issues confronting all of humanity. The Ubumuntu Arts Festival will therefore, act as a bridge over nations and provide an avenue, where people from different countries can come together to learn from each other and be empowered to spearhead the healing process in their countries.
It will be an annual festival that will take place in the last week of the 100 day Genocide memorial. The festival will be held at the outdoor amphitheater of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre. Festival activities will include but not be limited to: performances, workshops, panel discussions and genocide memorial site visits.
The festival's objectives:
To prevent genocide.
To promote peace building and healing from violence.
To provide cutting edge training and mentorship to artists.
To provide space for artists to network, grow, share and create.
To equip the festival attendees with tools to enable them to be agents of change
To provide a one stop centre for art professionals in terms of resources and creative industry information.
Date & Venue
Amphitheatre Kigali Memorial
11th -- 12th July 2015
Participating Countries
Rwanda
Burundi
Uganda
Kenya
Tanzania
USA
Sri Lanka
Canada
Serbia
Lebanon
Egypt
Ethiopia
Zimbabwe
Source:KT Press
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