Our Story
Kwabo Events was founded to create culturally safe, empowering and visible spaces for BIPOC artists, communities and cultural expression within Australia’s arts and events sectors.
The organisation emerged from the lived experiences of migration, exclusion and cultural invisibility experienced by founder Gracieuse Amah, who developed Kwabo initially through research exploring the role of African dance as a tool for resilience, wellbeing, belonging and intercultural connection leading to the first Kwabo Festival in 2018.
Kwabo Festival
The first Kwabo Festival launched during the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2018 at Queen Victoria Market, bringing together hundreds of participants from diverse cultural backgrounds through African dance and participatory arts experiences.
Since then, Kwabo has evolved into a multidisciplinary creative enterprise delivering:
❖ Incubator programs
❖ Cultural safety initiatives
❖ Festivals and performances
❖ Creative workforce development
❖ Mentorship and internship pathways
❖ Arts education
❖ Community engagement programs
❖ Public participatory performances
❖ Consultancy and cultural advisory services
Today, Kwabo works across arts, education, government and community sectors to strengthen equity, representation and wellbeing through creativity and systems change.
Leadership & Expertise
Founder and Creative Director Gracieuse Amah has choreographed and performed across major festivals and institutions including:
❖ African Music and Cultural Festival (AMCF) since 2019
❖ National Gallery of Victoria
❖ Arts Centre Melbourne
❖ Melbourne Fringe Festival
❖ Federation Square
Kwabo performances and workshops are recognised for combining African contemporary dance, storytelling, participation and cultural education.
Arts Education & Workshop Delivery
Kwabo has delivered African dance education, cultural workshops and participatory movement programs for more than 20 years across France and Australia.
In Australia, Kwabo Events has taught and facilitated workshops through:
❖ Victorian College of the Arts (VCA)
❖ RMIT University
❖ Deakin University
❖ Melbourne Polytechnic
❖ National Gallery of Victoria
❖ Schools, councils, festivals and community organisations across Victoria
Intellectual Property Expert
❖ 4-years experience working across entertainment, broadcasting and media sectors in France as an Intellectual Property Legal Adviser including with a major French media organisation
❖ 6-years experience working as Copyright Coordinator in the TAFE sector
❖ Production of youth civic engagement initiatives and festivals in France in collaboration between not for profit organisations and the French Ministry for Education.
❖ Production of concerts and arts festival including the Fete de la musique in Poitiers