In Africa, gender stereotypes, especially towards minority groups are still great challenges, and addressing them exposes even wider gap. Rwanda’s Cedric Mizero’s latest stage production dubbed Portrait of Imandwa is a window into and exposé of this.

The debut premiere at Kigali’s L’Espace was a sail many wouldn’t predict. Known for his breathtaking live fashion showcases, one would anticipate Mizero surprising his audience with another unseen adventure.

After being led into the dark auditorium, only the stage is dimly lit, directed at a sitting stool coated with charcoal pieces, giving it a vintage look. The stage’s extreme back holds fresh goat meat on a hook, attached to a swing.

Dressed in only skimpy shorts, a bare-chested youthful, miserable male makes way to the stage’s foreground, which is entirely covered by charcoal, to sit on a low stool.

"Portrait of Imandwa" is a stage production reflective of the pain gender minorities face. PHOTO | ANDREW KAZIBWE | NMG

While he hums and sings a lamentation, he is showered by the white-coloured downpour, which rhythmically covers his entire body. He is joined by other males, similarly dressed, with one hand wearing a white-dotted glove and with their heads dressed in a transparent net.

The group, of over 60 males appears to be locked in conflict; first within oneself, and amongst themselves, and further by their surroundings.

Backed by slow-paced tunes, the male seated on the low stool sings in lament of his existence at a crossroads, in despair, and feeling lost from the world. And as he sings, his pauses are followed by a downpour of the water, which at intervals changes to a dark colour too.

Rant against homosexuality

And amidst the group’s agony and struggles appears your typical African woman, dressed in Ikitenge fabric while holding a Bible. She is furious as she conveys a sermon in Kinyarwanda: … “The Lord hates homosexuality, the biggest sin; repent your sins,” she attacks.

“The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,” she intones, before retiring to the unknown ten minutes later.

This production is an artistic visualisation of what gender minorities face. Through the production, Mizero speaks on his close friend Moses Turahirwa’s personal life, which has for years faced societal anguish towards his sexual orientation. The production also stops away from honouring traditional stereotypes of men not showing vulnerability, concealing pain even when they hurt deeply and weep from within.

World-class couture

It follows the launch of Imandwa Summer ‘22 outfit collection, which Turahirwa, a fashion Designer at Moshions Rwanda Fashion House presented late last year. This featured company’s re-imagination of Africa’s traditional aesthetics, through world-class couture.

The collection, which uses environmentally-friendly resources not only celebrated the craftsmanship and fashion freedom that ancient generations exuded, but also focused on building an assortment that is gender-neutral and sustainable, and more significantly challenges social stereotypes facing gender minorities that impact mental health and the concept of manhood.

Mizero’s breakthrough into the fashion scene was initially highlighted in the 2015 and 2016 Kigali Fashion Week editions, where he successfully showcased his homemade collection.