Danza

RESEO, a European network dedicated to education, participation, and transformation through opera, music, and dance, is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year with a conference titled Making Noise: The Future that We Want.

In the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the capital city of Goma sits between several mining towns and valuable minerals. Part of an active volcanic region rich in resources, the city serves as an essential transport hub for the nation—and, more importantly, as home to nearly 2 million people, many of whom have been displaced.

This past year, those 2 million have lived through extraordinarily difficult circumstances as the rebel group known as M23—the March 23 Movement—took control of the city. But perhaps none are more affected than the children. Over 2,000 schools in the region have been closed, with many thousands of students displaced and forced to witness the horrors of war, including the deaths of loved ones. As the fighting continues, these young people have been increasingly isolated and ignored, left without opportunities to connect with one another, explore their feelings, and celebrate joy.

And yet, as Workshop Leader Rene Byamungu writes, joy has persisted in North Kivu through music:

Érase una vez un rey de Buganda que murió. Cuando nació su heredero, el tío del bebé, Gunjju, creó una danza para mantener al joven monarca constantemente feliz, ya que se dice que un rey que llora trae mala suerte. Hoy en día, la danza, ahora llamada amagunjju, se interpreta en diversas ocasiones, como bodas, fiestas de cumpleaños, ceremonias de presentación y muchas otras.