SYLVESTRE NSENGIMANA will, on October 30,  release "Brave, Muted”, a solo play that highlights how children grow up with powerful dreams to make positive impact in their community, but parents, societies, and different cultural hindrances never give them the chance to express their true versions.

The performing artist said that the project also highlights children's injustice and combines theater performance together with spoken word poetry and storytelling to explore a story of his character, Kelly, who wanted to be a dancer from his childhood but his parents restricted his moves until his dream faded away.

He declared that the solo performance, also known as one-man show, was the best way to express the real story of Kelly, adding that as a performer, he wanted to use a different approach to challenge himself as well as try something he has been never done before.

To produce "Brave, Muted", he first finalised the script he started working on during the Writing Theater for Young Audience Workshop organised by Ishyo Arts Centre in July 2020.

He said that his friend Pieter Ruigrok of Thespis Consultancy helped him in dramaturgy, adding that he was later granted funds from African Culture Fund - ACF through SOFACO following his successful application.

The main objective of Solidarity Fund for African Artists & Cultural Organizations (SOFACO) was to strengthen the resilience of artists and cultural organisations through assistance for creation and reconstruction of the social fabric of the artistic sector in Africa facing the COVID-19 crisis.

At the close of the call, 694 applications were registered from 37 African countries and two from the diaspora.

On July 5, 2021, 55 laureates were selected including 25 cultural organisations and 30 individual artists. "Brave, Muted" was selected among five projects by English speaking individual artists.

With the funds, Nsengimana said that he was able to meet his budget requirements hence produced the theater performance supported by the Umut Arts team and Deo Munyakazi who created the soundtrack.

The costume of Kelly, he said, was inspired by the heroism of his character, adding that it takes a hero to inspire the world.

From this very idea, he loved the concept of "Intwari collection" (which means "hero") from his friend Abdoul Mujyambere of A&M Clothing Line. Abdoul later came up with the final costume based on the "Intwari Collection" which he loved in the first place.

Nsengimana said that Rwandan theater is growing because theater practitioners are getting professional and the audience is now interested in paying for performing arts while different stakeholders also understand the value of theater.

However, he said that they still have to make advocacy for theater development with a goal of having many professional artists and getting stakeholders to pay adequate price for theater practitioners.