UGHE’s Hamwe Festival for third edition is to address Pandemics, Confinement, and Social Changes

The University of Global Health Health Equity (UGHE) launched their third annual Hamwe Festival which will take place virtually for five days from November 10, 2021.

 For the third edition, the organizers believe that build bridges across sectors is a necessity, not only to improve access to services and the quality of healthcare delivery around the world but also to eliminate the gap between the most and least disadvantaged. It is in this sprit that they created the Hamwe Festival, a platform the brings the health sector together with creative industries, The most year the festival will be a hybrid one, taking place in various locations around Kigali, as well as online.

The first edition of the festival, Hamwe 2019, explored a diverse range of possible collaborations between creative industries and health sectors.

The second edition of the festival took place online from November 11, to November 15, 2020, and discussed mental health and social justice through the prism of the arts and arts based research, reaching more than 26,000 viewers from all over the world.

For its third edition, Hamwe festival aims to reflect on the social changes that have occurred since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in late 2019. In particular, how these changes have affected health and social systems and the inequities within them.

By explaining the important of Arts in the pandemic period In opening Ceremony of today November 10, 2021, UGHE Vice Chancellor Prof Agnes Binagwaho

Said: “The tension and injustice experienced during Covid-19 pandemic have brought mental problems to people, Arts was crucial to improving the social life and productivity either at work, school, and community”.

“We need to do more research to find out how to meet needs of people in the healing process to give more evidence to policymakers in global health and also reconnect with our ancestral ways of healing which included songs, drums, etc.” Prof Binagwaho added.

Minister of State Hon. Bamporiki Eduard, who represented Minister of Youth and Culture in this event, in explaining the roles of Arts Said: ““This festival demonstrates how health and the arts can collaborate to improve people’s lives. For example, in Rwanda, arts were used to convey information and provide comfort during the pandemic.”

“The culture and creativity industry had been among the first to shut the door during the global pandemic. It is important that UGHE took the initiative to encourage the creativity industry through Hamwe Festival.” He added.

Hamwe festival has attracted speakers and artists from 13 Countries and will features a variety of a sessions through the course of the five days event including panel discussion, presentations from health professionals, lively and engaging performances from artists from around the world, films screenings, a short story contest, and curated exhibitions.

The UGHE is Global health Science University built in Rwanda focused on training health professionals to deliver quality health care in an inclusive manner including the world’s most marginalized community.