Culture

Artistes hold music, dance festival to promote peace in DRC

Published

2 years ago

February 15, 2023

In a bid to promote peace in the turbulent Democratic Republic of Congo, several artistes from the country and the Great Lakes sub-region, got together to hold a three-day music and dance festival with songs calling for peace and reconciliation in a region plagued by armed conflict for more than two decades.

According to Abonimana Gérard,
the President of Dangakaranga Cultural Association, group from Burundi whose group got a special investigation to participate in the Amani Festival, it is the belief of the participants that their efforts will continue to preach the message of peace.

“I know that through our dance, we have launched a message of peace which must return to the country. The songs sung are also about peace and it is a great message,” says Gérard.

Reports in local media on Wednesday say for three days, beginning from February 9th through to the 12th, artists such as the Belgian Burundian Joy Goia, Innoss’B from the DRC, Senegalese Didier Awadi and several local dance groups entertained the crowds at the
Amani Festival which is a Swahili word for peace.

“The 9th edition of the Amani Festival which is the biggest cultural event in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, had to be relocated for the first time to Bukavu, in the east of the country, for security reasons,” the reports say.

“Usually held in Goma, the event couldn’t go ahead in its stronghold because of the M23 rebels gaining ground in neighbouring North Kivu.”

Guillaume Bisimwa, the organiser of the Amani Festival, while speaking on its success, said:

“This cultural moment also makes it possible to give expression to young people at the national and regional level, to say that it is too much, for a moment, we must stop everything and it is very important to be able to continue to live so as not to give strength and power to this situation that we deplore.”

Related Topics:Amani Festival Dance Democratic Republic of Congo Featured Music Peace

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Culture

Moroccan doctors stage nationwide protest in ‘Week of Anger’

Published

1 day ago

December 25, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Moroccan doctors across the country on Tuesday staged a nationwide protests in what is known as “Week of Anger,” accusing the government of ignoring their calls for reform in public healthcare.

In a public announcement on Monday, the Independent Union of Public Sector Doctors (SIMSP) said the strike action would include more walkouts from December 30 to January 5.

The SIMSP said the nationwide strike would affect all public health facilities except emergency and intensive care units to ensure that some level of care remained available.

“During this time, doctors will not be at diagnostic centres and they will also boycott administrative tasks and refuse to issue medical certificates,” the SIMSP said.

The union added that a large march is planned for December 29 in Rabat, aimed at opposing laws on strikes and pensions.

The doctors’ union noted that their demands have been ignored by the Ministry of Health.

The union stated that their requests to government has remained unanswered. It also criticized a new framework for doctors, calling it scandalous as it threatens job security and opens the door to unfair dismissals.

The doctors’ demands include extra grades for doctors beyond the current scale, higher salaries, and an end to limits on promotions.

The union also wants the government to honour agreements made in 2011, 2023, and 2024.

According to the union, the doctors are also upset with the 2025 budget plan, which they say fails to address the health sector’s funding issues, expressing concerned about plans to shift salaries from central budgets to local health groups and warning that this could lead to instability.

The union added that doctors will continue to boycott school health programmes and what they call “improvised” surgical campaigns. They insist on maintaining high medical standards while pushing for change.

Culture

Ghana’s Afua Asantewaa begins second GWR sing-a-thon attempt

Published

4 days ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghanaian singer, Afua Asantewaa, on Saturday, began her second attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest singing marathon by an individual.

The sing-a-thon which began in the early hours of Saturday, December 21, at Heroes’ Park, Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, will run until December 25, and will see the determined songstress perform non-stop, focusing exclusively on Ghanaian songs.

According to Asantewaa’s manager, Madam Gladys Osei Owiredu, the audacious initiative is aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Ghanaian music to a global audience.

Owiredu confirmed that preparations for the event had been extensive but expressed confidence in Asantewaa’s readiness to finally break the record.

“I can confirm that she is ready for the task ahead. It’s been challenging—by way of preparations—but I can say she is ready,” Owiredu said.

Asantewaa’s second attempt follows her first effort in December 2023, which fell short of surpassing the current record of 105 hours held by India’s Sunil Waghmare.

But despite the setback, her team remains optimistic about breaking the record this time with corporate sponsors including International Maritime Hospital, Ghana Gas, Nasco Electronics, and Zoomlion Ghana Limited rallying behind her, underscoring the importance of the attempt in amplifying the global significance of Ghanaian music.