Rwanda: Ubumuntu Arts Festival is back in July

This edition will begin with the Ikaze Night Festival opening concert on 11 July, with performances taking place at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village.

The music and dance line-up will include Lilian Mbabazi (Uganda), Alexander Star (US), the Street Dancers Company (DRC) and Under the Surface (Netherlands). Local performers will be Unidance, Mashirika and the National Ballet of Rwanda.

The rest of the performances will run at the Kigali Genocide Memorial amphitheatre from 12 to 14 July, under the theme, When the Walls Come Down-Truth.

In addition, artists from around the world will participate in workshops and panel discussions as well as contemporary dance, theatre and poetry performances that deal with the challenging aspects of violence and human nature, including police brutality, mass incarceration, civil war and genocide.

This year's line-up will feature performances by groups from Israel, Turkey, Rwanda, Malawi, France, South Africa, Tanzania, Canada, Mexico, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Sri Lanka, DRC, Germany, Austria, the UK and US.

"Not many people, even fewer in Africa, think of the arts as a means of effective communication or as an avenue for solving social problems," festival founder and artistic director Hope Azeda told The New Times.

"The truth is that art played a crucial role in tackling Rwanda's immense post-genocide challenges, from genocide perpetrators giving truthful testimonies to victims forgiving perpetrators".

First held in 2015, Ubumuntu Arts Festival takes place after the last week of the 100-day commemoration of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Since then, the festival has promoted performing arts in East Africa and facilitated collaborations and networking opportunities between African and international artists.

For more infromation, visit the Ubumuntu Arts Festival official website.