Activities - Human Rights Are Universal Arts Festival

What We Do

The Human Rights Are Universal Arts Festival, an initiative by East Africa Visual Artists (EAVA Artists), is an annual public event held to promote the core values of humanity, equality, and freedom of expression through the power of art, activism, and creativity.

EAVA Artists is a human rights visual art and media organization based in East Africa that champions diversity and inclusion. The festival aims to highlight often-overlooked stories and foster a more compassionate, just, and unified society by using storytelling to break down barriers.

Annual Human Rights Festival

"Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change – it can not only move us, it makes us move." - Ossie Davis

Main Activities

Art Exhibitions

Showcasing artwork created through initiatives like the EAVA Artists Residency, where artists explore themes related to human rights.

Visual Arts Exhibitions

Panel Discussions

Engaging conversations with human rights experts, activists, and artists on topics like accountability, power of expression, and the role of art in freedom movements.

Discussions Advocacy

Performances

Featuring poets, hip-hop artists, musicians, dancers, MCs, and DJs from across the country, providing a platform for marginalized communities to share their voices.

Performing Arts Music

Film Screenings

Presenting documentaries, fiction, action, drama, and sci-fi films to engage audiences with powerful stories that can inspire action.

Film Storytelling

Live Debates

Meet with artists and creatives addressing urgent topics like discrimination, climate change, and democracy using art as a cornerstone for social justice.

Debates Social Justice

Market Book Exhibition

Inviting human rights organizations and publishers to showcase books and materials in line with human rights, aiming to reach wider audiences.

Literature Education

Our Impact on Activism

The EAVA "Universal Human Rights Arts Festival" is an active force for human rights advancement in Uganda. Recognizing the country's ongoing human rights challenges, the festival mobilizes art as a powerful tool for activism.

Broadening Human Rights Reach

The festival uses diverse art forms (visual art, music, dance, poetry) to make complex human rights issues accessible and relatable to all Ugandans, regardless of background.

This actively sparks dialogue and fosters empathy where traditional methods might fail.

Amplifying Silenced Voices

EAVA provides a vital platform for marginalized communities to share their stories of injustice and resilience through art.

This acts to humanize abuses, making them visible and undeniable, and builds a cultural archive of resistance.

Empowering Artists as Activists

The festival actively cultivates an "art for activism" culture, demonstrating art's power for social change.

It empowers artists to use their talents as advocacy tools, supporting them financially to ensure their continued activism.

"As human rights activism increasingly shifts to online spaces, boardroom meetings, and press releases, the festival reclaims the physical public organizing to champion freedom of assembly and take human rights directly to the people, reigniting the power of the people."