The annual Ubumuntu Arts Festival on July 16 hosted the Cultural Diplomacy Unconference at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village, an open, participant-driven forum where artistes, cultural thinkers, and policymakers explored how art can shape public policy and raise societal awareness.

Unlike traditional conferences, the unconference allowed attendees to co-create the agenda, with the day featuring art exhibitions, live performances, panel discussions, and intimate personal engagements that emphasized the role of arts in healing, dialogue, and diplomacy.

The day opened with a performance by Rwanda’s Inanga pioneer Sophie Nzayisenga, whose music, tied on the ancestral inventions and personal experience, set the series for a day that spotlighted several cultural celebrations and collective imagination as seen performed from Nepal, Burundi, DR Congo, Brazil, and others.

"Art is no longer just for the stage but an important force for healing, diplomacy, and human connection. It is not a product. It’s a dialogue,” Hope Azeda, the festival’s founder and curator told The New Times.

Azeda spoke of the festival’s beginnings with 200 university students and how it has grown into a global movement with artistes from over 30 countries for over a decade.

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"For example, on the agenda we have ‘identity and belonging’, which will bring together artistes from six countries to explore heritage, technology, and self-expression through multidisciplinary performance. This is far from what the arts can do,” she said.

The event was attended by distinguished guests from around the world, including Amb. Irene Gana of Brazil, as well as returning trainers and artistes from Uganda, Brazil, Burundi, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, DR Congo and beyond.

"Artistes are often hidden in studios,” she said. "But this space was created so we can step out and shape the conversations that matter. This is not just a performance but a national dialogue,” she said.

Brave Olivier Ngabo, Permanent Secretary at Rwanda’s Ministry of Youth and Arts, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to cultural development and artistic empowerment.

"We don’t always know where our inspiration comes from, but this space allows us to ask, to reflect, and to share. Art helps us remember who we are and where we want to go,” he said.

Ngabo pointed out that cultural investment should be seen as a national development strategy, not a luxury and if we truly understand what art is doing for our collective healing, we must invest in it accordingly.

"We’re calling for more of these kinds of engagements, not just in Rwanda, not just in Africa, but globally,” he added.

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Another key feature of the day was a panel discussion on "Culture and Art for Promoting the Global Good,” moderated by Eirini Oikonomidi, Cultural Programs Manager at the Heritage Management Organization.

The panel brought together Kathryn Weir, Curator and Writer, Co-Artistic Director of Lagos Biennial (2021–2024), and Artistic Director of the Madre Museum of Contemporary Art (2020–2023) and Amb. Irene Gana, Brazil’s former ambassador to Ghana and a long-standing advocate for Afro-Brazilian cultural diplomacy.

Weir presented examples from collaborative projects around the world, pointing out that art as "knowledge production” and a responsive practice grounded in local social and ecological realities.

"Artistes aren’t just creators; they’re co-researchers and catalysts for reimagining shared futures,” she said.

Amb. Gana reflected on Brazil’s journey from dictatorship to democracy, showing how cultural diplomacy helped restore dignity, identity, and international presence.

"Cultural diplomacy is not just soft power but a heart power. We use art to show who we are, and how we can live in peace, despite our differences,” she said.

Both panelists underlined the importance of long-term artistic residencies, collaborative knowledge production, and policy environments that value indigenous perspectives and local epistemologies.

Azeda also commended how the government is taking cultural diplomacy seriously, under the fact that it has been backing creative industries, building culture centers for young people and many more thumbs up.

"We’ve seen the Ministry of Youth coming on board to support it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperations has also been helping in providing the right speakers and contributors.”

"That&039;s a big sign and the support we wouldn’t buy in a shop. It shows you that they are beginning to trust and support this kind of conversations, visions and dreams around culture and arts,” she noted.

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The opening day built on outreach events held on Tuesday, July 15, in Bugesera, where artistes visited the Ntarama Genocide Memorial and later performed in Ruhuha Sector. There, Genocide survivor Anathalie Kabagwira shared her testimony.

This followed Ubumuntu’s Mental Health Day, held under the theme "Healing the Invisible through Art.” Through dance, music, and storytelling, participants explored the role of art in trauma recovery and emotional well-being.

Previously, on Monday, July 14, the festival opened with a strong and emotional start through Mental Health Day, held under the theme "Inside Out: Artfully Healing the Unseen.”

The day’s events, hosted at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village and Club Rafiki, brought together artists, mental health professionals, and advocates for creative wellness. Deep conversations, dance, and individual storytelling filled the space. Brazilian–Dutch choreographer Andrson Carvalho shared how the body stores pain but also holds the key to release and recovery.

What’s next?

In the coming days, the Unconference will host creative labs and dialogues on themes such as heritage and memory, creative technology and activism, cross-border residencies, sustainability, and inclusive artistic economies and many more.

Starting Friday, Ubumuntu classic performances will light up the Kigali Genocide Memorial Amphitheatre, three evenings of transformative global storytelling and performance.