Heads On Fire - History

History

The foundation for Heads On Fire's programming philosophy was laid during the period of Director's Xavier Leonard's Traveling Artists' Fellowship in West Africa, a program sponsored by the Institute of International Education. While working with artists and students throughout Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Niger, Leonard was witness to the clamoring need for a disenfranchised people living in a turbulent political environment to have their voices heard. The multimedia tools to make that possible were present, but Leonard found himself in situations where he was the first to connect these tools to the people whom they would most benefit. The immediate profound social impact of those efforts, and the inherent power of the work produced were unforgettable, and fuel the aspirations of Heads On Fire today.