WHY Goma’s women-led music festival endures under rebels

In rebel-held Goma, a women-led music festival has once again turned culture into a public call for peace, unity and resilience, as performers and residents gathered despite the insecurity hanging over eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

At the center of the event was “Musika na Kipaji,” a three-day festival that organizers say is meant to showcase women’s talent while pushing back against gender-based violence in a city marked by conflict as cited by AP News.

The festival, now in its seventh year, drew nearly 3,000 people, according to organizers. Congolese rapper Clem Cléopâtre was among the performers using the stage to speak about peace, social cohesion and solidarity, themes that resonated in Goma, where daily life has been reshaped by war and political instability.

The backdrop remains severe. Eastern DRC is facing one of the world’s largest displacement crises, with millions uprooted by years of fighting and a fresh deterioration since early 2025, according to UNHCR. In that setting, events like this festival have taken on added weight as rare civic spaces where people can gather across divisions and reclaim a sense of normal life.

Organizers say that is especially important for women, who continue to face heightened risks as conflict fuels abuse and weakens support systems. Human Rights Watch said in January that conflict-related sexual violence in eastern Congo has escalated even as assistance for survivors has dropped, underscoring why women-led platforms in the region are carrying both cultural and social significance .

For festivalgoers, the value of the gathering goes beyond entertainment. In a city where tension can return quickly, the event offered a visible reminder that culture still has the power to hold communities together, even under armed control.