When the annual organisers of Ubumuntu Arts Festival held the 2020 edition virtually, they were hoping for a physical show in the following edition. Last year’s festival was all about sharing values of humanity while keeping people entertained and providing an opportunity to network and come together during the times of Covid-19 as per the last edition’s theme “Stop, Breathe, Live’ With the hopes that the Covid-19 protocols would be relaxed in favor of letting large gatherings resume still under scrutiny, this year’s Festival edition will be held from July 16-17. Despite the pandemic, organisers are keeping connected with performers from the rest of the world as they continue to interact through different sessions being held on social media platforms, mainly Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Under the theme ‘Rebirth: I can, I must I will’, a lineup of 100 stories will be shared by the festival organisers via its social media platforms in what is dubbed ‘100 stories of home’ until it closes in July. The ‘100 stories of Home’ started with the commemoration week, during which a powerful story called ‘Aftermath’ was the first to be shared with the public. ‘Aftermath’ deals with the question of reconciliation and forgiveness in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina through two confessions: one of a perpetrator, the other of a son of a convicted war criminal. The two stories of the two countries become mirrors in the work of art, showing both sides of the aftermath of war and genocide. ‘Aftermath’ gives a glimpse into two different stories that came out of senseless war and fills your heart with compassion, which is the first step towards forgiveness and reconciliation. Right after the commemoration week, a series of stories were shared as well in sessions that take place thrice n a week. On Mondays, organisers share content around ‘Creativity Unlocked’, which is content from a community of artists being created particularly during the lockdown. On Wednesdays, a live chat dubbed ‘Home Chats with Sonia’ is held on Instagram where festival moderator Sonia Iraguha, sits down with an artist from the invited creative community for a candid chat on various topics. And on Fridays, another session dubbed ‘Homelessness’ is held on how the creative community can navigate both physical and non-physical homelessness. Hope Azeda, the founder and curator of the Ubumuntu Arts Festival, said they wish there were physical attendances for the ongoing sessions if it weren’t for the pandemic but insists the current experience has been positive given the fair attendance of the public on social media, that the session is gathering. “Given that the pandemic doesn’t allow people to gather at venues, we decided to hold the festival’s events virtually where we are doing the sessions on Instagram,” Azeda told Weekender. “Social media have been a good platform for us to keep connected with the world, especially the young generation, who are our top target for our stories. The attendance is improving, and that motivates us to keep sharing more,” she added. People are able to follow the sessions and updates on all social media platforms of Ubumuntu Arts Festival mainly Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. With Instagram, different participants are able to follow a series of performances and interactions and live chats with festival performers from a long list of countries from different continents across the globe, including the United States, Brazil, India, Uganda and Rwanda among many others. Invited creatives who perform different forms of art including poems, storytelling, singing, contemporary dances will be given a chance to perform or share their stories during ongoing online sessions. American choreographer Lyrric Jackson is one of the invited performers for this year’s edition, which has been ongoing since the Commemoration of Genocide against the Tutsi started on April 7. Lyrric is a dance teacher and Director of the Lyrric Jackson Dance Company, a dance firm based in Atlanta that works to create transformative performance experiences inside and outside of the studio through brave explorations of the body and dynamic movement. A National Geographic Certified Educator and a member of the Peace Studio’s Peace Builder Artists Cohort for 2020, Lyrric is currently researching inner trauma, and actively studying Vipassana meditation. Her choreographic work is grounded in contemplative practices and structured improvisation through the contemporary modern dance lens and inspired by in-depth anthropological and sociological explorations. Shes also a powerhouse with a great perspective on healing and the arts and, with her experience, she can relate to this year’s festival edition’s theme ‘Rebirth’ and inspiring stories related to the theme. “Rebirth is the understanding that, as people, we change every second, and understanding ourselves differently. I think about it as a person, that the way we move, and breath, it’s going to be a different way,” said Lyrric during an Instagram live chat last week.
