Event curators for the Tumaini Festival, unique refugee camp show, have postponed the event citing a hostile funding environment.
The organisers said being a free entry festival, the event depends on grants, donations and support from its partners.
According to a statement from the organisers, funding has become more limited and uncertain, making it impossible for them to sustain the festival at the scale and quality their community deserves.
“Over the past two years, the NGO and development sector has faced an increasingly difficult funding environment. We are working hard to secure the support we need to return in 2027, stronger, more resilient and ready for the next chapter,” reads the statement in part.
The organisers have said the postponement does not signal the end of the festival and that they intend to use the break to reflect, learn, improve and sharpen what makes Tumaini Festival unique.
The statement said: “For thousands of festival lovers, Tumaini has become an annual journey to Dzaleka, a place to celebrate humanity, discover new music and art, exchange cultures and ideas, make friends and simply be together.
“We are deeply sorry that we cannot share that experience with you this year.”
The organisers said they have, however, organised smaller community events at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, the traditional home for the annual event.
In a separate interview, festival founder Menes Le Plume said their event has been affected with by the downsising of United Nations High Commission for Refugees operations globally, who were their financing partner for years.
“It has been a difficult few years for us since many of our funding channels were closed. Now we have to use this break to restrategise as we seek new sources of funding so that we come back stronger,” he said.
The Tumaini Festival becomes the second big annual event to be postponed following the cancellation of the Lake of Stars Festival.
Art commentator Sam Chiwaka said event curators need to relook at some aspects of their event’s organisation and align them with present realities in terms of finances and the preferences of their audiences.
“If one is attending a festival they need to be convinced on the product they are spending on. There is need to look at the creativity in delivering the events. They also need to look if the financial status of the majority who attend such events resonates with what they deliver,” he said.
Tumaini Festival rolled out in 2014 and since then, the event has become an important part of life at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa as it creates opportunities for local businesses and service providers.
