Tumaini Festival

A festival inside a refugee camp

Tumaini (Swahili for “hope”) began in 2014 and takes place inside Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, Malawi. It is widely described as the only arts festival held inside a refugee camp.

Dzaleka was built for around 10,000 people. It now houses more than 50,000, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, along with Ethiopia, Somalia, and other countries.

Origins

The festival was founded by Menes La Plume (Trésor Nzengu Mpauni), a poet and refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who lived in Dzaleka. He wanted to show the talent inside the camp and change how refugees are seen.

“Nine years ago, I was broken. I believed I had no apparent future, much like any other refugee with a few lofty dreams. My dreams were so audacious that everyone around me found them irrational and discouraged me from pursuing them. Excitingly, most of those dreams have come true, and the most incredible of them all was the Tumaini Festival.” Menes La Plume, founder

The program

Over three free days the festival runs music, theatre, poetry, dance, film screenings, workshops, and a space for visual artists across several stages.

“There are times when you perform at Tumaini and observe from people’s reactions that the event is about more than music. It’s about instilling hope in the hopeless.” Skeffa Chimoto, musician

Impact

Organizers report more than $150,000 in annual community revenue, around 1,500 seasonal jobs, and homestay income for about 400 host families. See the impact page for details.