Established in 2014, Tumaini is the world’s first festival held within a refugee camp; it is an extraordinary large-scale cultural event held annually inside Dzaleka Refugee Camp; the festival was created and produced by the refugees and the host communities. Its goal is to promote intercultural harmony, foster mutual understanding, and create a peaceful coexistence between the refugees and the Malawian people. The festival also boosts the economy of refugees by transforming Dzaleka into a touristic destination, attracting thousands of domestic and international tourists to the camp.

Over the past eight years, over 129,000 people have attended the event, and 409 performing acts from across Malawi, Africa, and the world shared the same stages with performers from Dzaleka.
Because of its uniqueness and impact, Tumaini Festival has been recognized worldwide, being an Honorable Mention of the 2021 Global Pluralism Award, winning the 2020 Sharjah International Award for Refugee Advocacy & Support, and the 2018 World Bank Africa Region’s Social Inclusion Hero Award. The festival was also a finalist of the 2020 Ockenden International Prizes and a finalist of the 2020 Elevate Prize.

Tumaini Festival promotes cultural exchange and economic empowerment for refugees through the world’s first international festival held in a refugee camp. The festival creates opportunities for people from different cultural backgrounds to learn from each other and celebrate humanity by appreciating each other’s differences. Tumaini is not just a festival; it is a movement that raises the voices of refugees, creates a conversation, and transforms the host community into active advocates for the refugee cause. The festival also boosts economic activities within the camp and offers a platform for the refugee community to sell their goods and services, which improves their standard of living.

Dzaleka is the only permanent refugee camp in Malawi. It is located in Dowa district, 45 km from Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital city. It has a population of over 53,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Burundi, with smaller numbers of people from Ethiopia, and other countries. In Malawi, refugees do not have the right to employment, the right to property, or the freedom of movement. This greatly isolates refugees, limits their financial capacity, and restricts their ability to access cultural events.

Despite having lived in Malawi for the past 28 years, refugees at Dzaleka Refugee Camp are still culturally, socially, and economically excluded. Malawi ratified the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. However, it holds nine reservations to the Convention. Malawi’s encampment policy, among other things, denies refugees freedom of movement, the right to employment, the right to attend public schools and universities, and the right to start businesses outside of the camp. The policy greatly isolates refugees, limits their financial capacity, and restricts their ability to access opportunities available to Malawians. Thousands of refugees have been born and raised in Dzaleka Refugee Camp and are now raising their own families and children, subjected to the same restrictions. This creates conditions of perpetual poverty and dependence on aid. Additionally, refugees are exposed to psycho-social issues, feelings of despair, and loss of hope.

Refugees’ lives are confined by the restrictions of the encampment policy. Refugees are also deprived of a sense of belonging and national identity because there are no integration prospects in Malawi and voluntary repatriation is not an option as many refugees feel that their countries of origin are not safe enough to return. Additionally, in Malawi refugees face different forms of discrimination due to prejudices and negative public perception, which has the potential to fuel xenophobic attacks. www.kickstarter.com
Tumaini aims to

· empower refugees and foster pride through arts and artistic expression

· encourage entrepreneurship and reduce poverty in the refugee camp

· facilitate the gain and exchange of knowledge and skills through workshops and trainings