{{Rwanda’s arts community and the U.S. Embassy in Kigali joined together Monday evening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech with an exhibition featuring Rwandan art inspired by Dr. King’s words.}}
Forty artists from around Rwanda, including those from Inema Arts Center, Ivuka Arts, Uburango Art Studio, and Inganzo Art Gallery, as well as independent artists, submitted paintings and sculptures for the exhibition.
The artists attended the exhibit and shared with the other guests how Dr. King’s speech inspired the artwork they presented that night.
Along with the artists, guests included Rwandan Minister of Justice Johnston Busingye, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion Henriette Umulisa, and representatives of civil society organizations.
In her opening remarks, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Jessica Lapenn, said the purpose of the event was to communicate Dr. King’s immortal message through the universal medium of art.
“As we thought about [Dr. King’s] speech and its legacy as a call for social justice, a call to action, we also thought about its potential to inspire art and artists,” Lapenn said. “[The works of art] were all created for this evening to contribute to a celebration, a remembrance, and an inspiration.”
American novelist, filmmaker and teacher, Carolyn Cohagan, read a portion of Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” which he also wrote in 1963. Cohagan was in Rwanda, courtesy of the U.S. Embassy, as part of the U.S. Department of States Speaker Program.
She spent the previous week in Kigali and Butare conducting workshops with teachers, students, filmmakers and journalists on analytical writing, story-telling, teaching, and film script writing. That evening, Cohagan, underscored the link between Dr. King’s words and their power to inspire art.
The U.S. Embassy Kigali is proud of its continued partnership with Rwandan artists, said Deputy Public Affairs Officer Benjamin Roode. Using Dr. King’s speech to inspire was a unique way to share Dr. King’s teachings through a Rwandan lens.
“Dr. King’s words have inspired countless individuals the world over to strive for their equality,” Roode said. “We’re proud to work with Rwandan artists to continue that inspiration and to strengthen the relationship between our two countries.”
Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom August 28, 1963.
The U.S. Embassy coordinated with local artists for more than two months on this celebration. Those interested can see the art at the local studios named above.
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