Held under the theme “Embracing Time: Holding On. Holding Together,” this year’s festival will feature a week-long programme of performances, discussions and creative engagements exploring healing, memory, resilience and human connection.
Organisers say the festival aims to highlight the role of art in transforming personal and collective struggles into shared strength while creating spaces for reflection, dialogue and renewed hope.
“This year’s theme 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 the 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,” she added.
Founded in 2015 by Azeda, the Ubumuntu Arts Festival has grown into one of Rwanda’s leading international cultural events. Held annually after the 100-day commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the festival provides a platform for artists and audiences to engage with themes of memory, reconciliation, peace and social transformation.
The festival takes its name from the Kinyarwanda word “Ubumuntu,” meaning “being human,” reflecting its belief that art can unite people from diverse backgrounds through shared experiences and values.
The 2026 edition will begin on July 13 with Mental Health Day at Inzira Creative, focusing on the connection between artistic expression and mental well-being through workshops, discussions and interactive sessions.
Literature Day will follow on July 14, bringing together writers, poets and storytellers from Rwanda and beyond for readings, performances and conversations celebrating the written word.
On July 16, audiences will gather at Camp Kigali for Ikaze Night & Music Is Humanity, an evening of live performances centred on welcome, cultural exchange and unity.
The festival will conclude with the signature Ubumuntu Classic performances from July 17 to 19 at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, featuring nightly productions from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The 12th edition will feature local and international artists and performing groups, 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.
Their performances will explore themes of identity, remembrance, resilience, belonging and hope.
Over the years, the festival has gained recognition as a platform where art intersects with healing and social change, bringing together voices from different continents to reflect on dignity, reconciliation and the shared human experience.
Its timing in Rwanda following the national commemoration period gives the festival a symbolic role in encouraging conversations on how creativity can contribute to building peaceful and inclusive societies.
The 2026 edition is supported by venue partners Inzira Creative, MÖVENPICK Hotel, Camp Kigali and the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
All activities are open to the public free of charge, with organisers inviting artists, students, cultural practitioners, families, media and visitors to Kigali to take part in the week-long celebration.
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