The ongoing Women Deliver conference has addressed a variety of prevalent issues hindering absolute gender equality in the workplace, in community and in business however work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and the networking event turned day party balanced the scale almost perfectly.
Convened at Kigali Convention Center’s Youth Zone at the terrace were a multitude of young and vibrant people that yearned for an afternoon to unwind and have some fun, which the day party emulated.
With a low turnout, the event started off with karaoke performances from some of the delegates that gradually enticed more people into joining in at the Youth Zone, but it was Delah Dube’s poetry performance and the DJ set that proceeded it that set the tone for the entire afternoon.
Playing the role of mc and performer simultaneously, Delah Dube took center stage to perform a poem by her entitled survivor and her incredibly stellar narrative style wowed the crowd and drew more people into the gathering, undeniably emphasizing the power of art therapy to unite people.
"I love that this conference is a celebration of women and what they have achieved. It’s uplifting to see so many people uniting to achieve a common goal that’s progressive,” said Dube.
Dube’s engaging performance was followed by a DJ set that was taken advantage of and enjoyed for the next two hours, making for a more lively setting. The beginnings of every song created the opportunity for people to showcase dancing moves you’d never think they inhibited, adding a flair of fun to the entire event and providing space to unwind and experience different cultures.
Most of the delegates, especially those from north and south America took over the stage and led the dances, most of which were latin like salsa, tango and others, and this had people watching and dancing without even knowing when they transitioned because the vibrant energy was somewhat contagious. The dances and music featured renowned Afrobeat heats such as Cough by Kizz Daniel or Calm Down by Rema to the likes of Indian music that delegates seemed to be enjoying and classic hits such as 'Toxic' by Britney Spears that naturally make people groove to the music, accompanied by different tracks from the likes of Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro, two fast rising Puerto Rican artists whose music seems to bring out the hip hop dance moves you never knew you needed, and moves the masses.
The youth zone also had a multitude of bean bags amidst the space that people used to take dancing breaks and chat and the aesthetic of it and the entire aesthetic could potentially rise the trend of day parties, which would be an interesting addition to the regular summer roaster
Drumming circle and cultural dance
At the end of the party, the afternoon had many activities lined up, one of which was a drum and dance session by the terrace that simply did not disappoint. The drum and dance session set alongside a beautiful sunset kicked off with traditional drummers hitting the hay, in a way that made delegates, especially the non Rwandan ones want to join the drummers and the dancers. A number of delegates wore mishanana and attempted to learn how to drum and dance 'Amaraba,' which was so fun to watch, especially for the gleeful, successful and unsuccessful attempts.
The "students” modeled the moves of traditional dancers who doubled as dance instructors and a good number of them were actually dancing like naturals by the end of it. The 30-minute drum and dance session then opened up to the audience which made for some adrenaline fused moments, evoking excitement in everyone.