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Our Sponsors
We are grateful to the businesses and organizations that help support the mission of the Byumbani Bukavu Theatre.
Hear From Our Founder
Testimonial
“I am Congolese, born and raised. I share with my Congolese brothers and sisters a connection to our home, culture and artistic expression, and love for one another. Our country has lived through decades of war…war that I knew, too. As a boy, I had to flee from danger and carry that trauma in my mind and body like so many Congolese people. I am alive today because fellow Congolese shared their resources and support.
In college, I had an experience of art (a beautiful dance concert) that transformed me. The music, the colors and the beautiful movements of the dancers took me away from my trauma. In that moment, it was just me and the dancers. I was fully in that moment and felt free. I knew then that I needed to share this feeling with my Congolese people.
Today, I can still recall the feeling of that moment…and can find the same freedom. Art transforms us. Art lets us share our stories and stand proudly in our truth. Art gives us a moment to experience happiness. Art can make us feel free. When I discovered this, my first desire was to share it with my people, like they had shared with me. And so, it is my mission to build and live in community with my people, creating art that inspires us, gives us hope and direction, and that brings us together.”
-Grace Ntibonera
