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‘Our House’ play evokes debate on belonging

Friday December 02 2016
play

A scene from the play, Our House. PHOTO | ANDREW KAZIBWE

Our House is a play that deals with themes of belonging and a longing for peace. The play not only entertains but also sparks debate about various issues such as immigration, which is affecting the whole world.

The play has a five-man cast, who work together to build a house. As they build, they debate the difference between a house and a home; how big their house should be; how many people it should accommodate and who should be invited to it.

The play is directed by Barbara Kölling from Germany and Carole Karemera of Rwanda’s Ishyo Arts Centre. It is co-produced by Helios Theatre from Germany. It premiered on November 6 at the Kigali Public Library in Rwanda.

Our House is acted in English, German, Russian, French and Kinyarwanda. It explores feelings of loss and looks at the experiences of immigrants who have lost their homes. The play reflects on current and past events when people around the world are forced to leave their homes and escape to a new place where they have to build new lives, relationships and embrace different cultures.

One of the characters is from Burundi and relocates to another country due to conflict at home. He dreams of returning home but is shattered to find there is no home to return to.

One scene depicts a Tutsi family fleeing the country during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi. The city of Hamm, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, also shares in the experience of people fleeing their country during and after the Second World War.

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Herve Kimenyi, one of the actors from Rwanda, found acting in Our House quite challenging because of some of the harrowing scenes, especially those about Rwanda, because the memories of the Rwanda genocide remain fresh in the minds of people.

“These situations are quite emotional,” Kimenyi said.

Our House questions the value and importance of a home and the sense of security and safety it does or does not offer. The play is interactive with actors directing questions and making statements to the audience. The different sound effects add to the interactiveness of the play.

The play premiered in September this year at Helios Theatre in Germany and has been on tour around Rwanda. It was first performed for the children of Centre Cyprien and Daphrose Rugamba, SOS Technical School, Kigali International Community School, SOS Technical School in Kagugu and then at the College of Arts and Social Sciences in Huye on November 4, before finally premiering in Kigali on November 6.

According to Dida Nibagwire, Ishyo Arts Centre’s project and production manager, it is hoped that the play can tour other African countries starting later this month.

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