Festival Amani

The Festival Amani is an annual festival that takes place in the context of peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region. Amani is the Swahili word for Peace.

Description
The Festival Amani is held annually in Goma, a town near the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The festival hosts music, dancer, comedies and other talented artists in Goma. The festival is held annually and lasts for 3 days in February of each year. The festival's name comes from the Swahili word for "peace" and it celebrates that Congolese rumba was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

Organization
The festival is managed by a dedicated team of permanent employees and volunteers, who work throughout the year to ensure its success. They engage in extensive preparation and training, studying other festivals and gaining backstage access to events like the Esperanzah! festival in Belgium. Three months before the festival, a team of volunteer leaders joins them to coordinate the logistical aspects of the event. Then, 600 volunteers come on board to ensure the execution of the three-day celebration.

Activities
To promote community engagement and support local talent, various activities are organized leading up to the festival:

Sanaa Weekends: These events, held at the Foyer Culturel de Goma, provide a platform for artistic promotion, featuring singers, dancers, musicians, acrobats, and more performing in front of audiences ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 people every Saturday. Over 200 musical artists and traditional/modern dancers participate, hoping to be selected to perform at the Amani Festival.

Caravanes (street concerts): Organized with selected dancers and musicians, these caravans travel through the city's neighborhoods with selected dancers and musicians, introducing local artists to the population and raising awareness about peace and the festival. Artists engage with the community, spreading joy and promoting cultural values.

Young Entrepreneurs Competition: This competition focuses on business creation projects with a strong social impact for Goma. It is open to all youths in Goma and offers training opportunities and financial support to ten young entrepreneurs. Four of them receive a zero-rate loan of $1,350, a laptop, and support from the "Kivu Entrepreneurs" incubator for six months, aiming to encourage and support youth entrepreneurship.

Projets artistiques: Financed by the Amani Festival and supervised by the Foyer Culturel de Goma, provide financial support to six local musicians with six artistic projects receiving a donation of $500 each. Musicians from Goma, selected by the community and a jury, present their projects and receive coaching and funding for their realization. The progress and impact of projects launched in 2018 are continuously supervised, with success stories of supported youth shared on social media platforms and the festival's website.

Amani FM
Amani FM radio, which broadcasts live on the Amani festival website and on Pôle FM, a local radio station of Pole Institute, played a crucial role in connecting audiences with the essence of the festival. Pole Institute, a non-profit organization engaged in conflict research in the African Great Lakes region, provided a platform for Amani FM to amplify the festival's message of peace and cultural unity. The radio station offered a diverse array of content, including interviews, debates, and production of shows.

Operating across four distinct broadcasts, each program encapsulated different facets of the Amani festival experience:


 * News Live Music: A program dedicated to showcasing the talent of national, regional, and international artists.
 * Tulinde Mazingira: A program focused on environmental conservation.
 * Hakiba: A show dedicated to entrepreneurship.
 * All Together: A chronicle capturing the spirit of unity and collaboration at the festival.

History
The idea of organizing an extensive music and dance festival was initiated by the trainers and management of the Goma Cultural Center, colloquially known as Foyer Culturel de Goma whose aspiration was to foster peace, cultural appreciation, and harmonious coexistence within the region. The festival was named Amani, which means "peace" in Swahili. This idea germinated following the success of the Sanaa weekend, which is a platform dedicated to promoting and showcasing burgeoning talents such as musicians and actors from Goma, alongside artists trained at the Goma Cultural Center.

Initially lacking experience or formal training in organizing such a large event that brings together more than 30,000 people, the trainers and youth cohorts from the Goma Cultural Center decided to make a first try and make it a great success. With the help of the United Nations Volunteers, who provided technical and logistical support, and the United Nations Development Programme, which supported the event with $15,000 to provide transportation for the artists, as well as assistance from Belgian allies, notably Éric de Lamotte, the first edition was slated for August 30–31 and September 1. However, due to prevailing security concerns in North Kivu, the event was postponed to February 2014, a decision taken in conjunction with local authorities. On August 31, 2013, the scheduled performers, including Lexxus Legal, redirected their talents to a solidarity concert in Kinshasa, hosted at the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles à Kinshasa, an offshoot of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, administered by Wallonia Brussels International.

1st edition 2014
The festival's first edition was held from February 14 to 16, 2014, in Goma at the Kwa Kesho Bora Village. The event was complemented by the participation of 63 local and international non-governmental organizations and 400 volunteers. Notable highlights included a masterclass conducted by Lokua Kanza.

The festival presented a range of internationally recognized artists and native musicians like Lokua Kanza, Lexxus Legal, Innoss'B, Mani Martin, Tonton Lusambo, Fal-J, Jessica Kill, the Matakiyo group, Groupe Folk, Pinochet, Maraben, and Maguru. Martin Kobler, the Special Representative and Head of MONUSCO, lauded the festival as a "soft force which, like water, can move much more than sometimes military force".

2nd edition 2015
The 2015 second edition transpired February 13 to 15. It drew an audience of 29,000 festival-goers and saw the participation of 70 local and international NGOs and 500 volunteers at the Kwa Kesho Bora Village.

Notable artists at the event included: Tiken Jah Fakoly, Habib Koité, Bill Clinton Kalonji, Mani Martin, Mayaya, Junior Grigo, Lion Story, Willy Stone, Mista Faba, Grp Kistanga Tusti "Kahé" and many more.

3rd edition 2016
The 2016 third edition commenced on February 12 and finished on February 14. It garnered the attendance of 11,000 festival-goers and featured a program comprising 30 musical and dance ensembles, mentorship for ten burgeoning entrepreneurs, allocation of four grants, initiation of four enterprises in Goma, sponsorship for six artists to realize their creative endeavors, engagement of 80 innovative and associative organizations within the Kwa Kesho Bora village, facilitation of four artistic workshops, participation of 510 runners in the Ekiden, and mobilization of 400 dedicated volunteers.

Notable artists at the event included: Nneka, Werrason, Ismaël Lô, Joel Sebunjo, Aly Keïta, Zao, Kode, Yvonne Mwale, Mista Poa, Sango'A, Angel Mutoni, JC Kibombo, Keren, New Young, Jazz Music, Intachogora, Black Man Bausi, Innoss'B, Matakiyo, Keyvoices, and Nsango Mbonda.

4th edition 2017
The fourth edition began on February 10 and wrapped up on February 12 at the Maison Des Jeunes and College Mwanga campuses in Goma. It attracted 34,000 festival-goers and showcased the talents of 23 singers and groups, while providing a platform for 17 traditional and modern dance ensembles and facilitating 70 exhibitors within the associative and entrepreneurial realms. Additionally, the festival awarded 10 grants of $1,000 each to nurture artistic and entrepreneurial endeavors, while fostering camaraderie through a 42 km marathon involving 250 athletes with the aim of creating team spirit and cohesion in businesses.

Notable artists at the event included: Sauti Sol, Jean Goubald Kalala, Yewande Austin, Fabregas Le Métis Noir, Boddhi Satva, DJ Amaroula, Bolivar M'vulu, Franc Issa Le Rossignol, the Life Story Orchestra, Thomas Lusango, Robat King, Magic Pinokio, René Byamungu, Bolivar M'vulu, JKM, Kongoloko, Enrique Makas, Demba, and Mani Martin.

5th edition 2018
The fifth edition commenced on February 9 and concluded on February 11 at College Mwanga in Goma. Drawing approximately 35,500 attendees, the event featured performances by 30 musical artists, traditional and modern dance groups, and acrobats. It also engaged 730 volunteers representing 18 nationalities. Notable features included ten workshops led by international artists for youth in Goma, 28 entrepreneur stands, and the selection of five homegrown artists from Goma to perform at the festival. Moreover, the fifth edition introduced two entrances to enhance accessibility for festival-goers.

Notable artists at the event included: Ferré Gola, Dub Inc, Jupiter & Okwess, Maurice Kirya, Aganze Premier, Zao, Témé Tan, José Chameleone, BCUC, Yemba Voice, Ira Irene, Anderson Mukwe, Young B, Dj Damas, DJ USX, Dj Color, CED Koncept, Kerim Kaduro, and others.

6th edition 2019
The 2019 Amani Festival's sixth edition kicked off on February 15 and closed on February 17 at Mwanga College. It drew 36,000 festival-goers and featured 75 entrepreneurial and NGO stands, with 810 volunteers from 13 different nationalities.

It boasted an eclectic lineup of artists: Fally Ipupa, Youssoupha, Baloji, Ruth Tafébé, Lady Jaydee, Alisheur Amouly, Joly Malonga, Nkento Bakaji, Alif Naaba, Mortal Combo, Yvan Buravan, Infrappa, Knowless, Gaël Faye, Dj Spilulu, DJ Alec Lomami, T- Saint Arrow, Kareyce Fotso, Nasfi Power, Life Song, Anick Michael, BCUC, La Monteska, among others.

7th edition 2020
The 2020 seventh edition began on February 14 and wrapped on February 16 at Mwanga College. Over 36,000 people attended in defiance of an increase in violence in the area. The festival opened with a Congolese interpretation of Mozart's Requiem. M'bilia Bel was one of the headline performers and she include hits "Mpeve ya Longo" and "Yamba Nga".

Some of the artists in attendance included: Faada Freddy, M'bilia Bel, Didier Awadi, Professor Jay, Innoss'B, Dobet Gnahoré, Gaz Mawete, Euforquestra, Céline Banza, Serge Cappuccino, UsX & Izoard, Grand Mike Jazz, Alphaz, Honoman, Glomaneka, SLM, Bill Ruzima, Ndaane, Kris Dane, Slam, among others.

8th edition 2022
The eighth was initially planned for June 4 to 6, 2021. However, due to the state of siege prompted by security concerns and the COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it was postponed to February 4 to 6, 2022,  in Kituku in the Kyeshero neighborhood of Goma commune. It attracted a crowd of more than 30,000 festival-goers, along with various UN Agencies and NGOs. Due to Goma's ranking as the second city in the DRC after Kinshasa in terms of COVID-19 cases and deaths, North Kivu expanded the vaccination program at the event to promote vaccination awareness. Bintou Keita, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, was present, distributing leaflets to caution people against COVID-19 misinformation on social media.

Notable artists at the event included: W. Malick, Afande Ready, Mohombi, Roga Roga, among others.

9th edition 2023
As a precautionary measure for security reasons, the ninth edition was hosted in Bukavu at the Athénée d'Ibanda from February 10 to 12, 2023, while some ancillary events remained in Goma. It attracted a crowd of over 25,000 festival-goers, alongside various UN Agencies, associations, NGOs, and entrepreneurs. Eleven artists from Burundi, Rwanda, DRC, and Senegal participated. More than 1,000 children attended the Young Public Space, with 160 project ideas from young entrepreneurs, three of which were financially supported. Ten local food stands were available, and additional citizen panels were organized by Radio Okapi and broadcast live on national airwaves. Congolese artist Innoss'B headlined the event. Following this, artists like Reddy Amisi and the Tanzanian rapper Nay Wa Mitego performed concerts, followed by performances from other artists.