2020 Ubumuntu Arts Festival — Stop, Breathe and Live

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.

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.