The artists came from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, the Netherlands and Norway, and had spent two weeks in Sodere, Southwest of Addis Abeba putting the programme together. It included dance, music, acrobatics and circus. The cultural variety was vast, with a band playing traditional Norwegian tunes like “Per Spelmann” mixed with the Tanzanian “Jambo Bwana” behind spectacular foot-juggling performances by Circus Tigray members of “Circus of Ethiopia for Youth and Social Development”.
Umoja means “unity” in Swahili and the stage-performances showed unity in a diversity of arts and cultures.
The UMOJA Cultural Flying Carpet is a collaborative development programme and involves the participation of 11 cultural institutions from four different countries: Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Norway. Carpet "East" includes Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, the Netherlands and Norway. The main objectives of the program are: support of art and culture in society development of cultural institutions and development of individuals. The project is supported by NORAD and Norsk Kulturskoleråd, as well as six other Norwegian Institutions.
Read more about UMOJA on: www.umojacfc.com