THE ORIGINS

There’s this idea that monsters – vampires – don’t have reflections in a mirror. What I’ve always thought isn’t that monsters don’t have reflections in a mirror. It’s that if you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves.” Junot Diaz

The original KWABO Festival formerly called KWABO From Benin was inspired by my story of migration to Australia and my experience of isolation and exclusion. I developed this participation program as part of my Masters thesis exploring the benefits of African dance in my personal life, how it helped me remain resilient in the face of adversity and how my Afrodance practice could be used as a cultural bridge between diverse communities.

The first edition of KWABO From Benin Festival took place as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival 2018 at the Queen Victoria Market where hundreds of participants from diverse cultural backgrounds were speaking one unique langue, AFRODANCE.

With the second edition of the festival in 2020, I took one step further. I reflected upon my own journey, my growth as a cultural leader and my commitment to social justice and realised that I wanted to elevate my dance practice beyond interculturalism and facilitate spaces where individuals could explore ideas around racial equity and express themselves through diverse art mediums. Having observed the feelings of loneliness, anger and powerlessness that came up for myself and others in light of the Black Lives Matters movement and the COVID-19 global pandemic - I felt compelled to take personal action and the best way I knew how was through arts. 2020 festival, which held a digital program and two new form of expressions: Spoken Word and Visual Arts.

With the third edition (2023), we stepped further. Not only we facilitated more in depth cultural and artistic programs with a 6 week artist led incubator program but we also provided avenues for the general public to reflect and suggest actions promoting social cohesion, cultural understanding and dialogue supporting peace building. The 6 week program culminated with a sold out public performance at Dancehouse gathering 300+ attendees.

In 2025, Kwabo Festival comes back bigger with a 9-week incubator program in 4 different artforms culminating with a performance night and a photography exhibition. From July 19th to September 14th 2025 BIPOC emerging artists and international students are invited to immerse themselves into dance & storytelling, singing, spoken word and photography and showcase their artworks at Kwabo Performance night on the 21st of September on the official International Day for Peace. Kwabo Performance night will be a jam-packed family friendly event including a free Afrodance workshop led by by Gracieuse Amah, a community meal, and performances by workshop participants, local artists, community groups and Kwabo Events very own dance family “Kwabo Afro Tribe and more…

If you know anything about Kwabo Events, you know that community is at the centre of our activities and projects. This is the reason why we will also have an interactive activities for you (general public) to share your thoughts and ideas and tell us a little about your cultural stories and traditions.

 Gracieuse Amah - Founder and Creative Director of Kwabo Events