By Kudra Maliro
Inside the Kanyaruchina internally displaced people’s camp in North Kivu, DRC, a group of dancers holds a crowd of audience spellbound.
The dancers execute impressive moves and acrobatics drawing loud cheers and applause from the gathered spectators.
They are performing as part of activities to celebrate World Dance Day 2024, organised by the Collectif des Danseurs du Kivu (Dancers Union of Kivu), to help displaced people in the DRC overcome the trauma of war.
World Dance Day is celebrated every year on April 29. The artists in DRC believes it another opportunity to remind the world of the power of dance in healing emotional scars.
"There are around ten of us, and we tried to teach them traditional dance, hip-hop, break-dance, contemporary dance, and salsa," Kasereka Kasolene, a member of the Collectif des Danseurs du Kivu, tells TRT Afrika.
Clashes that have flared for years between rebels and government forces have displaced millions in the east of the DRC.
According to the United Nations, nearly 7.2 million people have fled the violence perpetrated by armed groups in the east of the DRC.
Thousands have been living in precarious conditions in the Kanyaruchinya camp, about 20 kilometres from the regional capital Goma.
Organisers say more than 1,500 displaced persons attended the ceremony, with many more expected to attend in the future.
"Each dance step seemed to heal the invisible wounds a little more. Shy smiles gradually turned into bursts of laughter, and bodies tired by the difficult daily life in the camp regained their strength and energy," Kasolene says.
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