Notes towards a festival in Rwanda

A few years ago, I worked with several other artistic directors at western Canadian folk festivals on a touring project with the Mighty Popo . Popo had moved to Canada from Rwanda during the dark years there, but returned often to look after his father and other family members.

The tour involved Popo and his contemporary Canadian band with a group of traditional Bhat-wa artists (sometimes referred to as Pygmies). It was a very powerful experience for everyone involved, which then led to some conversations between Popo and I about his dream to start a festival in Rwanda based on his experience of Canadian folk festivals.

These are some notes I made after our discussion on that project, which I had planned to present to colleagues at different festivals ...

INTRODUCTION
Rwanda is a place many people know of around the world, but Canadians have a unique connection with it. The horror of what happened there is still a chilling, vivid memory even from this distance in time and miles.
It’s impossible to imagine what a survivor of that time feels waking up there now. How does an individual or nation re-imagine themselves and build a future for their chidren in the light of their own history?

Rwandans will find their own answers, as individuals and as a nation.
We can help make their journey a little lighter.

a new annual cultural festival in Rwanda

THE PLAN Canadian folk festivals become founding partners with Rwandan-Canadian musician Mighty Popo and the Rwandan government in this initiative.

THE METHOD Festival staff, contractors, volunteers and audience members will work with the Rwandan crew at each event. The core team will work with the festivals here and and organizations in Rwanda. Together, we create a new annual festival informed by the spirit and the expertise these festivals have developed over 30 years.

Their expertise in event management, based in the participation of thousands of volunteers has a global reputation for excellence. The programming is challenging, trans-cultural, and trans-generational, and these non-profits are respected as successful, mature cultural organization, and successful

- bring selected artists and administrative/tech people from Rwanda
– they do a 3-4 week tour the summer before the festival is scheduled there.

- travel party spends a week in each festival city/community
- each staff shadow the person doing the work here that they are going to do there.

- artists, admin tech do media interviews / perform / publicize / fundraise / w.h.y. in the days leading up to festival. The Rwandan team’s perspective on work informed by methods at 3-4 events by 3-4 different teams.

programming at festivals
- live music, dance, spoken word…
- includes (facilitated) talking session each where the audience meet the Rwandan crew
- “what’s this about, what’s it like now… can this happen?, etc
- article in program book, info on website about this initiative

fundraising & revenues

- each event adds a loonie surcharge on each tricket sold that year (loonie?) – “a buck a dance” for Rwanda to help get it started. (? commitment to match it from somewhere?).

- sufficient number of participating presenters for a 3 year commitment, but need not be same festivals each year.
- Rwandan crew can count on $1/ticket first year/then 80 cents year 2 /60 cents year 3.
- project has a booth at each festival – volunteers work with Rwandan crew
- information about Rwanda now, and about the proposed event.
- pictures, brochures, video presentation
- private/audience donations? track thru festivals (tax receipts, etc)
- retail possibilities? Instruments, crafts, other?

- other potential funding? French/ Belgian / euro other?

- Canada Council Touring – possible tour funding for 50% (artists plus one) of domestic travel and per diems
- artistic budget contributes pro-rated share of travel and modest fees/wage that summer.

Part 2

- Canadians in Rwanda- artists - ? one roots/folk band / Popo (and rhythm section?), one electronic producer) ** perform at Rwandan festival?
- core tech/programmer/admin trio
- 2 trips to Rwanda? - once to scope / learn / suggest
- once to bring supplies, etc and work event September of the year following Rwandan tour
- keep local audiences, others current on the news on preparations online, newsletters, etc

- bring some audience? Interested people at each festival/elsewhere – package travel deal to come and watch? discount rate for experienced volunteers? (accoms, other cultural events, etc)

- their contributions can help underwrite travel (w/artists, core crew and audience- enough to charter?)
- afterwards, an interesting fundraiser - artists/staff/audience attendees talk about it, video from the event, music…
- festival programming, performances, updates- explore potential direct connection- audience/volunteers- how can they be involved and cotribute something other than money?

- what else might be useful for the festival there and others (schools, orphanage, women’s centres) – laptops? books? …

- get an endorsement/honorary/participatory agreement with Romeo Dallaire?

- document w/ video, artist diaries etc – share with supporters
-live video on internet from Rwanda during festival- events for supporters in Canada
- show supporters’ faces/event back to audience at the festival in Rwanda?

Benefits for Participating Festivals

Do something amazing together that will make an ongoing difference in people’s lives
- a message of hope and commitment
New level of dialogue among festival orgs and inside each festival community
Access to new artists from Africa, esp. Rwanda, Burundi
New model of organizations working together
National/local media
Enhanced international profile
Opens doors to new dialogues with existing & potential supporters, private/public/individuals
Differentiate folk festivals from other cultural events – less self-obsessed, more constructive

as I say, these were just rough notes from the plane ride home, but it's an exciting idea and one that could really do a lot of good for everyone involved....

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