Africa’s Hope – a play by Mashirika

Africa’s Hope is a play by Mashirika a group of Actors in conjunction with The Aegis Trust. The play brings to life memories of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi. Most importantly though is the message of hope and healing that it carries. It did just that so brilliantly on Wednesday at Serena Hotel. Mashirika came into partnership with The Aegis Trust after its invitation to participate in marking of the 10th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis. It has since staged many plays in the UK. The central theme is always the fight against Genocide. The group which has its roots from the student days of Makerere University in Kampala Uganda way back in 1997, permanently settled in Rwanda in 1998 at Hope Azeda`s initiative. In this particular play, the group aimed at highlighting the importance of remembering the effects of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis in order to emphasise the ‘Never Again’ resolve. While the production conveyed the brutality of the Genocide, it also highlighted the universal lessons of individual responsibility. Focusing to the future as well as flashing back to the past so as to enable people realise what the genocide was, and how the horrible ideology can affect the Rwandan society and the young generation. The group is also committed to motivate Rwandan’s by conveying joy and confidence through music and dance choreographies. Gloria Tengeza, an artist and member of the group, said that the young generation is their major target audience. “It’s very important to educate the youth about what their country has gone through so that they understand and know how to go about the future,” she says. “The play is centred on Rwanda but also portrays what is taking place in some other African countries. That’s why we called it Africa’s Hope”, she explained on the choice of title. She added that the play was not called Rwanda’s Hope because what happened to Rwanda in 1994 is now happening in Darfur in Sudan. So has Africa learnt…..or it will learn…….? She added that the group is not only fighting against Genocide Ideologies but is promoting the Rwandan culture. That this will enable Rwandan’s and the youth in particular to fall in love with their culture saying that “through our traditional dance and drama, we are educating the youth on how good our culture is so that they can also pass it on to the next generation.” Hope Azeda, the Artistic Director said, “We are determined to confront genocide ideologies at all levels.” She believes that the sky is the limit and credits the company’s growth to team and hard work. Ends