DRC’s biggest dance festival embodies the spirit of perseverance
Al Jazeera
The dance festival has taken place annually for the past seven years despite con attacks by rebel groups.
For Virginie Magumba, a 22-year-old professional dancer from Goma, in eastern Congo, dancing is more than just a career.
“Dancing helps me liberate myself, manage my emotions, and not feel all alone,” she said. “All that I have become I owe to dancing.”
Magumba won the prize for Best Congolese Dancer at this year’s Goma dance festival, the largest dancing event in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The annual festival, which sees dancers from all over the world flock to Goma, has been held in the city for the past seven years despite continuing attacks by rebel groups in eastern DRC. The region has long been overrun by more than 120 armed groups seeking a share of its gold and other resources as they carry out mass killings.
“This festival built me as a dancer,” said Magumba. “It showed me I could follow my dreams.”
