Freedom, an art experience created by Rwandan visual artist Henry Munyaneza and Swiss dancer and coach, Viviane Probst, took place at Envision Cafe on the evening of September 14. The event encompassed an art exhibition featuring five digital paintings by Munyaneza, his live painting experience and contemporary dance performance by Probst — all portraying ‘freedom’. According to Munyaneza, the key message behind “Freedom” is that for you to reach success, you don’t have to take a path people want you to take, but you need to understand and believe in your own path and walk it freely. The graduate from Ecole d'Art de Nyundo said that his interaction with Probst in February sparked the idea to kick off the project, given that he was on a quest to do his art freely and that Probst wanted to express and share how contemporary dance sets her free. In July, they launched it by taking shots for the digital paintings, Probst being the model. “L’homme et l’Oiseau” which translates in English as Man and Bird is the name of one of the paintings. Munyaneza said that it tells a story of how one blocks people who tell them not to pursue what they want to the extent they cannot even embrace good advice from someone, thinking that people are the same. That, according to Munyaneza, is not freedom. He said being free around people and still embrace your path and follow it is freedom. During the event, his live painting portrayed meditation and why you don't need other people to tell you how you should behave or work because the key to success is in you. Viviane Probst revealed she had an idea of organising an event called Free and Together with different artists and a belief that the two are important together. When Munyaneza proposed to her the idea of Freedom art experience, she realised it could be a good start, hence investing her energy into it. We cannot be free without being together and we cannot be together without being free first. For me, it's from your individuality. You own freedom which allows you to really connect with people. If you don't become free first, you begin to mix with the energy of other people and you lose yourself and what you want to do. Probst also declared that she uses dance to release what is going on inside of her, expressing her emotions, and believes that when she performs, it also helps some people who watch her. She added: Contemporary dance is an instrument I use to translate a message or energy. The event also saw different poets and singers express their freedom through art.
