UMOJA FEST 2025

Join us in Kigali for a powerful Kwanzaa celebration focused on our unity, culture, artistic expression, and collective strength. Umoja is the first principle of Kwanzaa. It calls each of us to remember who we are, where we come from, and what we are building together.

Come stand together in the spirit of Umoja. Celebrate the values that continue to guide and sustain African people everywhere.

Umoja Fest will feature:

• An opening drum circle and libation in honor of our ancestors
• Live Featured Performers + Open Mic for poets, singers, and lyricists to speak truth and power
• Traditional Dance
• The Spirit of Umoja Awards honoring servant leaders and community organizers
• A Kwanzaa Teach-In to ground our understanding of the Seven Principles
• Pan-Afrikan Play Zone A creative art space with painting, bead-making, and Kwanzaa craft activities
• Cultural Fashion Show
• Liberation Market with handmade goods, books, gifts, and more

Umoja Fest is a place for connection, celebration, and political education. Whether you live in Rwanda or have traveled from across the diaspora, your presence strengthens the collective. You are part of a global African community moving forward together.

Nominations for the Spirit of Umoja Awards are now open. To recommend a leader, teacher, healer, or organizer whose work uplifts our people, email [email protected].

Hosted by the National Black United Front International Affairs.

Come with purpose. Leave with vision. Umoja is the foundation. Let us build together. Turikumwe!

Host or Publisher Swatara