The Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Kigali, Rwanda presented the 6th Annual Conference & Festival livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network Friday 17 July to Sunday 19 July 2020. Amid the fear, chaos, and isolation in the world, we are honoured to provide a space to share stories of humanity from across the globe as we reflect on the need for the world to Stop, Breathe and Live.
Livestreamed on this page Friday 17 July to Sunday 19 July 2020.
2020 Ubumuntu Arts Festival — Stop, Breathe and Live
A Virtual Celebration of Arts and Humanity, organized from Kigali, Rwanda.
Livestream Schedule
Friday 17 July
at 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. CAT (Rwanda / South Africa / Germany, UTC +2)
Unconference
Festival Anthem: Flames of Hope
Collaboration
Opening Remarks
Sonia Iraguha
Dance Piece: Amahoro
Intayoberana Cultural Troupe
Welcome Speech
Hope Azeda
Keynote Speech: Caught Between Asphyxiation and Anticipation
Rev. Tamla Wilson
Music: Tahel
Katia Toobool
Dance Piece: The Hammer and The Dance
Camille Hanson
Presentation: KindnessCan
Jane Linley-Thomas, Radio Personality - KindnessCan
Paul Bushell, Psychologist - KindnessCan
Dance Piece: Two Lonely People
Miriam Engel
Panel Discussion: No Be From Hia - On Identity and Acceptance
Donnalee Donaldson - Huza Press
Natasa Omokhodion-Banda - No Be From Hia
Dance Piece: A Dancers Lament for a Dying World
Anouk Froidevaux
Panel Discussion: Arts & Resiliency
Rebecca Davis, Executive Director - MindLeaps
Reggie Van Lee, Chief Transformation Officer - The Carlyle Group
Royce Zackery, Head Coordinator of Dance Arts - Howard University
LaMar Baylor, Artistic Consultant - MindLeaps
Spoken Word: Awakening
Naleli Rugege
Panel Discussion: Commons Dialogue
Empathy and Risk
David Cotterrell, Artist
Gatete Rumumuriza Nyirimigabo, Senior Research Fellow - Institution of Policy Analysis and Research
Music: Violinist Jennifer Curtis
Jennifer Curtis and Sofia Nzayisenga
Video: Voices of our Visitors
Kigali Genocide Memorial
Ikaze Night
Music: Show me the Way
Alexander Star
Opening Remarks
Fola Folayan
Music: Teeriya
Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba
Live Performance of Festival Anthem Flames of Hope
Mashirika Band and Dancers
Moroccan Traditional Music
Gnawaband Karden
Live Painting accompanied by Spoken Word
Envision Rwanda and Rhyme Like a Girl
Closing Remarks
Fola Folayan
Entertainment
DJ Makeda
Saturday 18 July
at 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 3 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. CAT (Rwanda / South Africa / Germany, UTC +2)
Festival Anthem: Flames of Hope
Collaboration
Opening Remarks
Sonia Iraguha
Keynote Speech
Ambassador Peter H. Vrooman
Dance Piece: Breath of Life
Mindleaps
Spoken Word: We lost when we forgot
Malaika Uwamahoro
Drama Piece: Cartography
Kaneza Schaal & Christopher Myers
Drama Piece: Stones
Orto-da Performing Arts
Spoken Word: Invisible Woman
Toni Blackman
Story Telling: Breathless
Christopher Bailey
Restorative Power of Truth Telling
Gloria Tkarengera
Panel Discussion: The Restorative Power of Truth Telling
Kigali Genocide Memorial and Johannesburg Holocaust
Break
Sonia Iraguha
Drama Piece: Sarajevo
Samuel Hyde
Drama Piece: Bridge of Roses
Mashirika Performing Arts
Srebrenica 25 - Remembrance at Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda
Kigali Genocide Memorial
Dance Piece: Pumua
Yada Dance
Drama Piece: Musika
Umunyinya
Dance Piece: Sinestesia
Iron Skulls
Wrap up
Fola Folayan
Sunday 19 July
at 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. CAT (Rwanda / South Africa / Germany, UTC +2)
Festival Anthem Flames of Hope
Collaboration
Opening Remarks
Sonia Iraguha
Dance Piece: False Manifesto
Spot Lite Crew
Spoken Word: Be-you-tiful
Njeri Carrol
Dance Piece: Alien Woman
Lyrric Jackson
Dance Piece: Inside with Van Gogh
Mohamed Abd el-sabour
Drama Piece: Transmission
Empathy and Risk
Spoken Word: I Hate Valentines Day
Toni Blackman
Dance/Drama Piece: Shared Stories
Bosnia/ Germany/ Rwanda Collaboration
Speech by Israel Ambassador
Ambassador Dr. Ron Adam
Dance Piece: Birth of Phoenix
Vertigo Dance Company
Dance/Drama: Smog
Canoa Theatre
Dance Piece: Lacuna
Dark Room Contemporary
Visual Piece: Searching for an Eternal Flower
Mokhalad Raseem
Dance Piece: Conference of Birds
Collaboration
Vote of thanks
Dr James Smith CEO Aegis Trust
Dance Piece: Celebration
Inganzo Ngari
Closing Remarks
Hope Azeda
Festival Anthem: Flames of Hope
Collaboration
About Ubumuntu Arts Festival
Art has manifested itself world over as an efficient form of communicating, expressing opinions, airing issues and sharing values about all aspects of life that affect humanity. We are convinced that art as a forum for communication, expression, reflection, innovation and creativity is a key motor for social change. The word Ubumuntu can be defined as “Being Human”. Our festival aims at creating an avenue where people from different walks of life can come together and speak to each other in the language of Art. As Desmond Tutu has said “My humanity is bound together in yours, for we can only be human together.” His profound words have been the inspiration behind the festival slogan: “I am because you are, you are because I am: we are human together”.
Ubumuntu Arts Festival is the brainchild of Hope Azeda; a major figure in contemporary Rwandan theatre, and, the founder and Artistic Director of Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company – a leading theatre company in Rwanda. The Ubumuntu journey started when Hope submitted its idea to the Africa Leadership Project as her leadership project proposal. Needless to say her proposal received great feedback and as they say, the rest is history!
The festival was first held in 2015 and happens annually following the last week of the 100 days commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. It is held at the outdoor amphitheater of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre and brings different artists from around the world to convene in Kigali Rwanda. Festival activities include but are not limited to performances, workshops, panels and genocide memorial site visits. The festival is free and open to everybody and therefore relies on donations and sponsors for financial support.
About HowlRound TV
HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.
Find all of our upcoming events here.
Comments
The article is just the start of the conversation—we want to know what you think about this subject, too! HowlRound is a space for knowledge-sharing, and we welcome spirited, thoughtful, and on-topic dialogue. Find our full comments policy here