Uganda’s most iconic music and cultural experience, Nyege Nyege Festival, is turning 10 this November — and it’s doing so in grand style with a powerful new collaboration that bridges fashion, art, and sound.
Kwetu Kwanza, the bold fashion movement known for championing sustainability and African creativity, has partnered with Nyege Nyege for its milestone 10th edition, slated for November 20–23, 2025, at Kalagala Falls in Kangulumira.
The partnership marks a significant moment for East Africa’s creative scene, as two of the continent’s most influential cultural forces unite to celebrate and connect the intertwined worlds of music, fashion, dance, and theatre — art forms deeply rooted in African heritage.
This year’s Nyege Nyege, themed “Ekyigunda Ky’omuliro – The Gathering of the Flame,” will transform 40 acres of riverside wilderness into a vibrant playground of culture, featuring five dynamic stages and over 300 acts representing electronic, hip-hop, amapiano, and traditional African sounds.
But the biggest shift is the full integration of the Kwetu Kwanza Fashion Festival within the Nyege Nyege site — a first-of-its-kind fusion that will redefine how festivalgoers experience style and sound.
Founded by IGC Fashion, Kwetu Kwanza — meaning “Ours First” in Swahili — stands for ethical, conscious fashion that puts people and the planet before profit. Now in its sixth edition, the festival runs under the timely theme “What Can Emerge from Collapse?” — an artistic reflection on creative rebirth amidst the global breakdown of fast fashion, environmental crises, and social change.
Attendees can expect an immersive experience that goes far beyond the runway. The Kwetu Kwanza space, located next to Nyege Nyege’s Hakuna Kulala Stage, will feature a fashion exhibition with over 30 designers from across Africa and the diaspora, showcasing how discarded materials, forgotten fabrics, and ancestral craft traditions can be transformed into new visions of beauty and sustainability.
Beyond the catwalk, festivalgoers will engage in hands-on workshops on screen printing, indigenous material techniques, and the intersection of sound and textile design. The program also includes film screenings, headlined by the Ugandan premiere of “Resurgence of Lubugo” by Hannah Allchurch and IGC Fashion — a poetic exploration of heritage, identity, and renewal.
Together, Nyege Nyege and Kwetu Kwanza are crafting more than just a festival — they are curating a statement of resilience and creative evolution. As the flames gather at Kalagala Falls this November, one thing is certain: the continent’s most vibrant cultural celebration is about to burn even brighter.
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