A
Festival
of Oneness

A One-Act Play and Cultural Festival that occurred  Oct.11th-13th! 

 

The Momentary hosted the first-ever KaniniFest. A groundbreaking event that celebrated the power of storytelling and the unity of humanity. The word Kanini, derived from the Indigenous Australian word “Kanyini,” which means ONENESS. Kanyini is best expressed in English as the combination of the two words ‘responsibility’ and ‘love’, but it is actually a relationship; it is an enormous caring with no limit - it has no timeframe: it is eternal.

KaniniFest included (not including the 5 theatrical plays) youth writing workshops, African drum and dance workshops, music therapy workshop; Afro Beat Reggae party, activities for the kids, an art auction to raise money for the KaniniFest Arts & Culture scholarship, and more. Moja Productions has connected with the Osage and Cherokee Nation, and as a result, Cherokee, Quapaw, & Osage artists were present at the festival to perform their people’s creation story! Candice Byrd is the indigenous playwright for the WahZhaZhe Puppet Theatre and her grandmother’s family is from the land that Crystal Bridges and the Momentary reside on.

Year One Impact:  

The inaugural KaniniFest demonstrated the power of diverse storytelling and community building:  

 

- Welcomed over 1,500 attendees across three days, engaging participants from ages 7 to 80.  
 

- Provided employment to 10 local arts organizations, 12 actors, 4 directors, 7 crew members, Indigenous groups (Osage and Cherokee Nations), and local stagehands.  
 

- Partnered with esteemed organizations, including Walmart, Walton Family Foundation, TheatreSquared, The Momentary, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and Mount Sequoyah.  

 

- Celebrated voices from Osage, Quapaw, Cherokee, African American, Latinx, Marshallese and Pacific Islander, Chinese, South Asian (Indian), and Congolese communities.