Tumaini Festival - 2024

Tumaini Festival is a three-day annual festival taking place within the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Dowa Malawi. Dzaleka is the only refugee camp in Malawi and was established in 1994 from the genocide in Rwanda, Burindi and the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it located 45 km from Lilongwe the Malawi’s Capital.

Established in 2014, Tumaini is the world's first and only festival held within a refugee camp; it uses arts and culture to promote intercultural harmony, foster mutual understanding, and create a peaceful coexistence between the refugees and their host communities. 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.

Across the past nine years, over 159,000 people have attended the event, and 501 performing acts from 20 countries. The festival has gained national and international media coverage. It has so far achieved a media reach estimated at 66,200,000 people worldwide.

Because of its uniqueness and impact, the 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 for the 2020 Ockenden International Prize and a finalist for the 2020 Elevate Prize. In 2019, Tumaini Letu was represented at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, of which its Founder was a Refugee Co-sponsor.

A huge thank you to Malawi Travel, WUSC- Malawi Canada, and the Segal Family Foundation for joining us in this incredible journey. Your support will help make this year's festival the best one yet as we continue to celebrate art and culture!

An Impression