Essuie tes larmes et tiens-toi debout! Play about Rwandan genocide comes to Canadian War MuseumOttawa, Ontario, April 3, 2007 — As part of the nationally mandated Day of Remembrance, the Canadian War Museum (CWM) is marking the thirteenth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide with a moving theatrical production, Essuie tes larmes et tiens-toi debout! (Dry Your Tears and Stand) by acclaimed Rwandan playwright Jean-Marie Vianney Rurangwa. The play will run from April 6 to 8, in French, in the Museum's Barney Danson Theatre.
Essuie tes larmes et tiens-toi debout! is a powerful tribute to the victims and survivors of the Rwandan Genocide. The play evokes the atrocities of 1994, confronts the xenophobic mindset that allowed them to happen, and sensitizes the audience to their traumatic after-effects.
The play, performed by Rurangwa and his Izuba Theatre Troupe, will be preceded each evening by traditional Rwandan music, a brief overview of Rwandan history by historian Roger Blanchette and a performance by the Mighty Popo.
In addition, on Saturday, April 7, beginning at 3 p.m., the Canadian War Museum will host a free conference featuring lectures by Rwandan speakers and experts, and the Canadian launch of a new book by Rurangwa entitled Au sortir de l'enfer.
"Theatre can help people better understand difficult concepts and address painful topics such as the unspeakable violence and chaos of war," says Joe Geurts, Director and CEO of the Canadian War Museum. "This play, written and performed by Rwandans themselves, perpetuates the memory of the atrocities that occurred 13 years ago, lends them a new urgency, and opens our eyes to the long-lasting ramifications of this event."
The Rwandan genocide began on April 6, 1994, when extremist Hutu militia groups began slaughtering ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. By the time the systematic killing stopped 100 days later, approximately eight hundred thousand Rwandans were dead.
Essuie tes larmes et tiens-toi debout! is presented in collaboration with Humura, the Canadian association of Rwanda tutsi genocide survivors.
A question and answer session with the playwright will follow each evening's performance (in French).
WHAT: Essuie tes larmes et tiens-toi debout! (in French)
WHERE: Barney Danson Theatre, Canadian War Museum
WHEN:
Friday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.)
Saturday, April 7 at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.)
Sunday, April 8 at 5:30 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.)
COST: Adults $20, students and seniors $12, youth $7 (discounts applicable for members)
WHAT: Rwanda Conference and Book Launch (in French)
WHERE: Barney Danson Theatre, Canadian War Museum
WHEN:
Saturday April 7 at 3 p.m. (lectures by historian Roger Blanchette, Canadian Member of Parliament David Kilgour and Rwandan Senator Elie Mpayimana)
Saturday, April 7 at 6 p.m. (Jean-Marie Vianney Rurangwa book launch)
COST: Free
To reserve tickets for one of the performances, please contact the War Museum at 819 776-8600 or purchase your tickets at the Museum Box Office.
The Canadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum is Canada's national museum of military history. It attempts to help all Canadians better understand their country's military history in its personal, national and international dimensions. The Museum emphasizes the human experience of war to explain the impact of organized human conflict on Canada and Canadians, and how, through war, conflict, and peace support operations, Canadians have affected, and have been affected by, the world around them. Special exhibitions and programs also explore non-Canadian and general themes related to the human experience of war and the subject of armed conflict, past and present.
The playwright
Jean-Marie Vianney Rurangwa is a Rwandan author, playwright, poet, essayist, actor, and academic. He has served as artistic director and performer in various theatre groups, including his own Izuba Theatre Troupe, which he founded in 1989. Rurangwa was born in 1959 in Rwanda, but grew up in a refugee camp in neighbouring Burundi. Having lived and studied in several countries around the world, he returned to Rwanda after the genocide. He now teaches at several Rwandan universities and writes about the continuing challenges faced by his country.
Humura
In 2001, survivors of the Rwandan genocide established the Humura Association in Canada's capital region, to remember the victims, promote justice, assist the survivors, and spread knowledge on the genocide and its implications. Information: http://www.humura.ca .
The Mighty Popo
This Juno Award-winning musician grew up a refugee in Burundi after his parents fled Rwanda. He came to Canada in 1987, established himself in Ottawa, and has gone on to become an internationally renowned performer. Information: http://www.mightypopo.ca .
Information (media):
Christina Selin
Manager, Communications
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819 776-8607
E-mail: mailto:christina.selin@warmuseum.ca
Pierre Leduc
Media Relations Officer
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819 776-8608
E-mail: mailto:pierre.leduc@warmuseum.ca
|
|
