Rwanda-
Returning this year is Our Past, an annual social and entertainment event bringing together mainly the youth into commemoration of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, alongside fund-raising for survivors.
Initiated in 2012 by Sick City Entertainment, a seventeen-member youth group of dancers, the event structured in line with the commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis has since 2009 raised a platform for various entertainment acts which include modern and creative dance, Poetry, music among other activities in sensitization of the youth, “Its mostly the youth below 25 years, that attend our concerts are, which implied that during the 1994 Genocide, most of them were so young, others weren’t born yet,” explains Christian Intwari, the manager of Sick City Entertainment.
Some of the Artists at the past edition
Our Past 2018 will take place on April 9th, at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Amphitheater. The event will feature presentations by Iyugi, Elise Jabo and Poetry Justice of New Vision High School. It will also feature a discussion on ‘The Role of Arts during the 1994 Genocide, and what they play in today’s Nation Building’, which will be hosted by Regis Isheja. This discussion will feature Ysolde Shimwe of Uzuri KY, Phillipe Nyirimihigo of Illume Studios, Dominique Aronga of Imagine We Rwanda, and Atome the Comedian.
Unlike the past editions, where the event has been holding two-day’s session, this year will feature just a day,
“The first day is majorly dedicated to live presentations in line with sensitization, while this year, we prefer to further hold several outreach and community programs like visiting homes of Genocide survivors, sharing with them a meal, and donating to them,” Intwari explains.
The event has in recent years not only grown in terms of the numbers it attracts to it, but also attracting more partner organizations, who have supported its goal,
“Sponsorship received isn’t majorly money, but in-kind, where we are given items to distribute to genocide survivors,” he adds.
Ntwari further state how most sponsorship is attained from private organizations, while public institutions haven’t yet joined in when it comes to sponsorship.
