UMUKO

Dorothée Munyaneza was raised in Rwanda and now lives in Marseille – which is where she founded Kadidi, her very own dance and performance company. In addition, she has been working as an associate artist for institutions in Paris and Lyon. In her work, she takes an interdisciplinary approach to ruptures as a source of dynamic power. Using music, song, poetry, and movement, she creates resonant spaces for memory and embodiment, untold stories, and unseen people. 

Jean Patient Akayezu aka Nkubana is a Rwandan musician and composer who has had a relationship with the inanga – a traditional zither-like instrument from his homeland – since his childhood. He received an education in traditional Rwandan music from the Rwanda School of Creative Arts and Music (RSAM). 

Yves Iradukunda aka Impakanizi is an artist, dancer, musician, singer based in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital. With his roots in traditional Rwandan dance, he was part of the Rwandan National Ballet Urukerereza in 2008, performing internationally with the company. He has been part of many major artistic projects in Rwanda, including the Hamwe Festival, Kigali Jazz Junction, Iwacu Music Festival, KigaliUp Festival, as well as other projects across Africa. 

Cedric Mizero is a self-taught performer, filmmaker, and visual artist. His long-term project FASHION FOR ALL is part of his broader artistic efforts to increase the visibility of the inhabitants of Rwanda’s poorer and more rural regions. His project DREAMING MY MEMORY was awarded a Special Mention at the International Fashion Showcase 2019. 

Abdoul Mujyambere is a Kigali-based dancer, performer, and filmmaker. In 2010, he trained with Inshoza Dance Company at the National University of Rwanda (NUR), and is also a member of Amizero Kompagnie. Alongside his work with ensembles such as the Mashirika Performing Art and Media Company (Rwanda), the Ishyo Arts Center (Rwanda), and Anolombala (Madagascar), since 2014 he has been engaged in developing his own work, pieces that combine dance, performance, and visual art. 

Michel Baseme Ishimwe aka Michael Makembe is a pioneer of modern traditional Rwandan music and one of the few ikembe players in Rwanda. Through his research efforts, Makembe has provided a particularly meaningful contribution to the work of Rwandan remembrance. His research focused particularly on Nkombo Island in south-western Rwanda, a region whose music had never before been documented. In 2021, Michael Makembe played the lead role in the afro-futurist film NEPTUNE FROST (directed by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman). 

Founded by Dorothée Munyaneza in Marseille in 2013, the Kadidi Company is led by Virginie Dupray and has so far produced five works: SAMEDI DÉTENTE (2015), UNWANTED (2017), MAILLES (2020), TOI, MOI, TITUBA... (2023), and UMUKO (2024). The ensemble has toured throughout Europe, as well as performing in Canada, the United States, and Brazil.