Rwanda Theatre Festival is scheduled to start on Friday, December 10 and will run until 11 at LEspace, KG 511 st, Kacyiru, according to the organisers. The Festival aims to explore diversity in Rwandan Theater practice, to provide a platform for upcoming performers to showcase their talents, to raise mental health awareness by using performing arts, and to enhance cultural exchange. According to Sylvestre Nsengimana, the founder and CEO of Umut Arts which organises the festival, this time they have included more theater performances and interesting variety of acts compared to the previous edition that took place in March, 2020. He revealed that the festival was made possible through the partnerships of UMUT Arts, Lakhtrem productions and Writers Space Africa – Rwanda, adding that it was sponsored by Africalia. The performing groups that will present their plays include Team de Muse, Les Stars Du Theatre, Ackmoe Group, Writers Space Africa - Rwanda and UMUT Arts. Nsengimana said that the groups have been selected among more than fifty others from across Rwanda who have applied to perform at the festival. He declared that the festival involves theatre workshops for artists, theatre performances and a panel discussion which will be hosted on December 11 under the theme, “Theater Practice in Rwanda and Linkage to Mental Health.” He noted that Umut Arts has selected the theme because using art as a tool for mental health is one of its main mission, adding that they intend to reflect on the impact of Covid-19 on mental health by using performing arts as a global language. Among the panellists, there will be Ferdinand Munezero, a Poet, Career Advisor and Founder of Voice of Generation (VOG), Erica Kabanda, Program officer at Ndabaga Impact, and Moses Izabiriza, a visual Artist and Co-founder of Kuuru Art Space. The entrance fee is Rwf 10,000 for 2 days. People can register via this link: https://allevents.in/kigali/.
