Flying the Rwandan flag: Pan African Festival of dance salutes reconciliation and recovery efforts

UN Chronicle, Sept-Nov, 2006 by Pureterrah Witcher

THE NATIONAL FLAG OF RWANDA is no longer a symbol of human betrayal and indifference. Redesigned following the 1994 genocide that took some 1 million lives, the flag is younger and more beautiful today than ever before. Its three horizontal sky blue, yellow and green bands are just five years old; in the upper right-hand corner, a golden sun with 24 rays of light shines, signifying how precious each hour of the day truly is. It is a picturesque image--one that predicts brighter days ahead.

From 5 to 12 August 2006, the people of Rwanda, along with a number of dance troupes, vendors, musicians, humanitarians and healing arts practitioners from 20 African countries, participated in the 5th continental Pan African Festival of Dance (FESPAD) celebration-a biennial event that showcases the rich and diverse cultural legacies of the African continent and diaspora. The event, optimistically themed "the new face of Rwanda: we cannot change the past, but together we can build a brighter future", not only endeavoured to promote the continued healing of Rwandan hearts and minds but also focused on two new innovative concepts: cultural diplomacy and creative economy. Held in the capital of Kigali and sponsored by the Rwandan Ministry of Culture, the African Union and the World Culture Open (WCO), the Festival brought together diplomats, civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to brainstorm prospects for economic development.

The first-ever International Conference on Creative Economy for Development was the centrepiece of the 2006 FESPAD. Built on observations made at the 2005 South-South Global Symposium in Shanghai, China, the meeting represented a historic opportunity to address ways and means of growing the creative economy of Rwanda and other African and developing nations. Only recently has creativity been so widely recognized as a source of wealth and as a way of realizing the Millennium Development Goals of promoting gender equality and developing a global partnership for development. "Creative economy is the effective use of creativity as a source of wealth, the means of generating employment and as a significant factor in poverty reduction", said Yiping Zhou, Director of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Cultural economy starts with cultural expression that leads to a number of other creative outlets and ends with a healthy profit in the market. Generally, the idea is to turn intangible creativity into tangible wealth. "We know that creativity is not limited to economic development or social status. Even the poorest person has creativity, a handicapped child has creativity, an orphan has creativity and the poor woman living far out in the village has creativity. So how can we, the United Nations, help these people turn their creativity into their income is the question", Mr. Zhou said. Today, creative economy businesses constitute 7 per cent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) and it is expected to grow 11 per cent each year for the next 10 years. "So who benefits from the 7 and 11 per cent? This is where the UN wanted to play a role. We want to assure that part of that percentage increase and wealth goes to support the poor, because they own it--it's theirs", Mr. Zhou added.

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WCO is an international non-profit organization that encourages multicultural diplomacy in order to enhance understanding, peace and reconciliation among warring peoples, especially in heavy conflict areas. It facilitated a number of seminars, workshops and dialogues on regaining inter-ethnic confidence, mutual understanding and strengthening bonds among civil society-all significant elements of cultural diplomacy. "Globalization has brought interconnectivity and interdependency of just about everything we do daily. Cultural diplomacy is the new diplomacy; what we believe in is culture as a diplomatic vehicle to improve people's lives. This can be done in a number of ways, for example, through art, music and dance", Chung Lee, Director of WCO, said.

To assure international partnership and participation in the festival, the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation joined WCO and the Rwandan Ministry of Culture in sponsoring two radical community events, which were both dynamic in scope and purpose. The Humanitarian Project, held on 8 August 2006, increased the awareness of how service organizations are helping to rebuild Rwanda. A number of UN agencies, NGOs and humanitarian organizations shared information regarding their work. The event not only connected the locals with civil society but also encouraged their involvement. The Healing Arts Project on 9 August gathered international "healing" artists and practitioners, from whom thousands of participants learned how to reduce stress by cultivating healthy behaviours in mind, body and spirit.

To signal the beginning of FESPAD, the pounding sound of drumbeats was heard in the high mountains of Kigali, and the celebration began. In theatres, stadiums, conference rooms, concert halls, cultural centres and on soccer fields throughout the city, artistic and musical events were held. Rwanda's own traditional International Intore Dance Troupe, along with a hefty roster of Pan-African and international artists, performed. At the forefront of a growing network of African artists who are seeking to contribute to a positive image of the region, Jean-Paul Samputu performed several songs, some with a chorus of children, many of whom have been orphaned, maimed or left to live on the streets as result of the 100-day genocide twelve years ago. He led the chorus in a powerful rendition of the 2006 FESPAD theme song, "We Are Beautiful", and another called "I Dream I Can Fly". Jean-Paul said: "My vision as an artist--since 1994 after the genocide my life changed forever--I started to use my music to reconcile Rwanda, to heal Rwandans, to educate children, because I believe that children are the future. I used my music to empower and encourage, because I believe that music speaks directly to the heart. With all of the events and meetings, I feel encouraged, because my music is also used to promote peace, love and reconciliation."