This
year’s festival will be held under the theme “Embracing Time: Holding On.
Holding Together,” a call to reflect on resilience, unity and the power of
collective humanity in uncertain times. The theme invites audiences to imagine
a world where adversity is met with hope, where dreams create pathways to
healing and unity, and where art transforms struggle into shared strength “This
year’s theme, Embracing Time: Holding On. Holding Together, speaks to where we
are as people, as communities, and as a world still learning how to carry
memory, pain, hope and possibility at the same time,” said Hope Azeda, Founder
and Artistic Director of Ubumuntu Arts Festival.
“Ubumuntu
has always been about the power of art to remind us of our shared humanity.
Through theatre, dance, music, literature and conversation, we are creating a
space where people can pause, feel, remember, heal and imagine together. The
vision remains the same: to use art as a bridge between people, cultures and histories,
and to keep building a world where humanity is not just spoken about, but
practiced.”
Founded
in 2015 by Hope Azeda, Ubumuntu Arts Festival has grown into one of Rwanda’s
most important cultural gatherings. The festival takes place annually after the
100-day commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and has become a
global platform for performances, workshops, panel discussions and artistic
exchange.
The
word Ubumuntu means “Being Human,” and the festival’s work is rooted in the
belief that art can create space for people from all walks of life to connect
through shared humanity.
The
2026 program opens on 13 July with Mental Health Day at Inzira Creative from
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The day will explore the intersection of art and mental
well-being through workshops, discussions and creative expression.
On
14 July, the festival continues with Literature Day, also at Inzira Creative,
from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The day will celebrate the power of words through
readings, performances and conversations featuring writers, poets and
storytellers from across the globe On 16 July, the festival moves to Camp
Kigali for Ikaze Night & Music Is Humanity, an evening of welcome, rhythm
and unity through music from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
The
festival will close with three nights of Ubumuntu Classic performances from 17
to 19 July at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, running each evening from 6:00 PM
to 10:00 PM.
The
performances will feature local and international artists and collectives
including Afritheatre Collective, MindLeaps, Orly Portal Dance Company, World
Pulse Ensemble, Atsushi Suzuki Crew, Agahozo Shalom, Beyond The Mainstream
Storytellers, Ariel Rikka Dance, Backyard Stories, Inzozi Dance Company,
Khalaha, Matthew Westerby Company, Teatro Azul, Playwright Playhouse, Lumina
Dance Company and Millaz x Faiz Art Hub Foundation.
Over
the years, Ubumuntu Arts Festival has become a platform where artists and
audiences engage with questions of memory, healing, peace, dignity and social
change through theatre, dance, music, storytelling and other forms of
performance. Its location and timing carry deep meaning, linking the festival
to Rwanda’s history while opening a space for global conversations about
humanity and the
future.
This
year’s venue partners include Inzira Creative, MÖVENPICK Hotel, Camp Kigali and
Kigali Genocide Memorial.
The public, media, artists, cultural workers, students, families and visitors to Kigali are invited to freely attend and participate in this year’s festival.
