Art, rights and belonging to take centre stage at rights festival
The theme reflects growing questions about identity, community and social cohesion in a world increasingly shaped by digital platforms and changing social attitudes.
The theme reflects growing questions about identity, community and social cohesion in a world increasingly shaped by digital platforms and changing social attitudes. (File)
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Artists, cultural practitioners, civil society organisations and communities are set to meet in Kampala for nine days of exhibitions, performances, film screenings and public dialogue.
The meet, dubbed: The Human Rights Are Universal Arts Festival, is expected to be hosted at the Xenson Art Space in Kamwokya.
Now in its fifth edition, the festival is organised by East African Visual Artists (EAVA) under the theme: Threads of Belonging, which explores the connections that bind people together amid rapid social and technological change.
According to EAVA founder and executive director Vincent Kyabayinze, the theme reflects growing questions about identity, community and social cohesion in a world increasingly shaped by digital platforms and changing social attitudes.
“The threads are those connections that bind us together as people, whether through family, culture, responsibility or shared humanity,” he says.
Alongside the arts programme, organisers have planned an information exhibition, a health camp and a digital hub focusing on issues such as data protection, authentication and online security.
The inclusion of digital-rights conversations reflects the festival's broader engagement with contemporary social issues. Organisers say technology has widened opportunities for communication and participation but has also introduced new concerns around privacy, identity and personal security.
For EAVA, art remains a useful medium for exploring complex social questions because it can bring audiences closer to lived experiences.
Kyabayinze recalls the organisation's documentary Life on the Street, which followed women engaged in sex work and sought to look beyond labels often attached to them. One of the documentary's subjects, Diana, was portrayed not only through her occupation but also as a mother, daughter and sole breadwinner for her family.
Another documentary, A Silent Disease, followed a highly educated man whose life deteriorated following substance abuse. The film examined addiction through personal experience rather than public stereotypes.
“These stories remind us that people are often more complex than the labels society places on them,” Kyabayinze says.
“Art should never, at any point, be a poster,” Kyabayinze says.
Over the years, the festival has evolved into a platform showcasing artistic work focused on social issues, while creating opportunities for interaction between creatives, civil society organisations and the public.
Last year's edition, held under the theme “Defend”, featured more than 65 artists, 70 performances and six panel discussions, according to EAVA.
This year's theme shifts attention from defending rights to examining the connections that make communities possible and how those relationships are shaped by social, cultural and technological change.
Across the nine-day programme, questions of identity, dignity, inclusion and participation will be explored through visual art, music, dance, film and public discussion.
For organisers, the aim is also to create spaces where people can engage with issues affecting their everyday lives.