By Kudra Maliro
The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered years of deadly armed conflicts. with huge psychological impact on the population especially women and children.
Kasereka Kasolene, a young dancer has come up with a unique solution. He uses his dancing skills to give people a solace amid the wars. The 23-year-old professional dancer started imitating American legends such as Michael Jackson and Chris Brown, when he was just 8.
"I started my professional career in contemporary dance in 2016. I was selected to study traditional and contemporary African dance at the Ecole Sables in Senegal for three years," he told TRT Afrika.
Kasolene and his group attempt to convey a message of peace through dance in the city of Goma in the east of the country. They give performances in public places such as markets and in the streets to entertain and sensitize a population traumatised by violence in a region where the sounds of guns and other weapons are constant.
Emotional understanding
The Inuka dance group brings together a dozen young dancers who use the art as a form of therapy.
"When we share moments of dance with children who have suffered trauma, they forget, because dance helps them to overcome emotional pains and allows them to think about something other than the atrocities of war they have suffered, especially those from North Kivu," says Abdoul Tambwe, a dancer with the Inuka group.
"Thanks to Inuka group dance sessions, children get to know themselves better and better understand their emotions. By dancing, they express their bodily and emotional feelings in a playful and creative way. The dance movements also allow them to release physical tension and promote the circulation of energy in the body," he says.
“Our dance sessions are therapeutic for the children. It helps them develop self-confidence and self-esteem, because they are the future leaders of Congo,” he says Mr. Tambwe.
"As an artist, my role is to share hope and raise awareness among our people so that we avoid intercommunity conflicts that have cost the lives of many people," he adds.
Dance without borders
The Congolese army and its allies have been carrying out operations in eastern DR Congo for months in an attempt to dislodge the M23 rebels from the area. Thousands of people displaced by the violence are living in camps near the city of Goma.
For Kasolene, art has no borders. He assures that he has no problem with other countries despite their disagreements with the DRC.
Kasolene is currently participating in a Dance Festival taking place in Goma with several dancers from Rwanda, Burundi and other countries bordering the DRC. This dance festival aims to promote peaceful co-existence in the wider region and reduce tensions.
"We wanted to show the world that the DRC and Rwanda are two brotherly and friendly countries," says Mr. Batumike, the organiser of the Dance Festival in Goma.
He explains that the Rwandan and Congolese dancers spent more than a week together in Goma, training together and sharing the stage.
Kasolene and her group plan to visit displacement camps near Goma to teach dance and help displaced people overcome conflict-related trauma.
"The object is to prevent the children who live in these camps from ending up on the streets. If they master the dance, they will be able to take care of themselves", he confides.
"We are trying to sell a positive image of the DRC through dance and we hope that in a few months, we will not be talking about Eastern Congo as a conflict zone but rather for the wonders that the region offers. We are artists and mass educators,” concludes Mr. Kasolene.
