For Virginie Magumba, a 22-year-old professional dancer from Goma, in eastern Congo, dance is much more than just a career.
“Dancing helps me free myself, manage my emotions and not feel alone,” she said. “Everything I have become, I owe to dance. »
Magumba won the Best Congolese Dancer award this year at the Goma Dance Festival, the largest dance event in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The annual festival, which sees dancers from around the world flock to Goma, has been held in the city for seven years despite continued attacks by rebel groups in eastern DRC. The region has long been invaded by more than 120 armed groups seeking to take a share of its gold and other resources. commit massacres.
“This festival built me as a dancer,” Magumba said. “It showed me that I could achieve my dreams.”
Magumba started dancing relatively late. She watched the dancers train at her father’s sports club for years, but it wasn’t until she was 17, fresh out of high school and about to begin a degree in humanitarian studies , which she decided to launch.
Over time, dance became a kind of therapy for her. It made him forget about family problems and the violence in the area – and allowed him to maintain hope.
“We try to stay hopeful but it’s difficult when nothing improves. The festival embodies this spirit of perseverance.
Although her dancing career offers her the rare opportunity to travel outside the country, she says she has no intention of leaving the DRC.
“So many people have left in recent years. But I built my career here, in my city, in my community. There are only two professional dancers in Goma. I’m like, ‘If I leave, who’s going to show the other girls that it’s possible?’
