University festival uses the arts to address mental health

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge and diverse impact on human lives, ranging from causing mental health issues like loneliness and isolation, and social injustice, to exacerbating poverty. This called for much-needed interventions from different institutions, including those in academia.

This statement was made by Professor Agnes Binagwaho, the vice-chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Kigali during the launch of the third five-day Hamwe Festival on 10 November 2021.

This annual event brings together artists from all over the world to exhibit their talent in a bid to heal mental health wounds, confinement and social exclusion caused by the pandemic.

According to the don, who is also an expert in paediatrics, research suggests that art helps patients heal faster, reduce the need for painkillers and improve their general well-being.

She said that the university organised the festival to bring together artists with different backgrounds, including singers, actors and poets, from 30 countries to tell the healing stories to thousands of participants during the hybrid event.

The event took place in the Kigali Public Library in the capital city, with face-to-face as well as virtual contact.

The arts complement healing

The festival also brought together other participants such as scholars, community organisers and health professionals to reflect on how COVID-19 interacts with diverse but related issues such as family structure, elderly care, healthcare financing, community solidarity, taxation, migration, mental health, climate change, and biodiversity. They also reflected on the important role of creativity and the arts.

According to Binagwago, the university considered the impact of the pandemic. “What I expect out of such an art festival is awareness about the possibilities of art as a complement to healing. We never say the arts heal per se, but studies have shown that if you bring the arts into health facilities, patients benefit even when faced with a traumatic procedure,” she added.

She said that the festival serves as an opportunity to discuss the experience, the research, and the way forward to use the arts to treat mental health wounds, especially in the era of the pandemic. “There is no nation that does not have arts but, in modern times, we have forgotten to use it. Our ancestors did, but we no longer do,” Binagwago said.

Positive impact on social cohesion

“So, we hope to promote better health and wellness by creating awareness about the impact of the arts on health and wellness. It also has an impact on education and the community. There is an improvement of 18% in exam results, the arts create solidarity in communities, and even lead to less crime.”

Speaking during the event, Edouard Bamporiki, the minister of state in the ministry of youth and culture, said: “There are so many examples where the arts have shown to improve physical and mental health; beyond that, they have a positive impact on social cohesion.”

Bamporiki is also a filmmaker, author and poet.

“Through the UGHE’s Hamwe Festival, teamwork in the health and cultural sector has proven that we can work together as partners in many ways to improve the life and well-being of the people we serve,” Bamporiki added.