Hewa Rwanda – Letter To The Absent

Hewa Rwanda – Letter to the Absent

It is hard to fully appreciate the trauma, grief and anguish experienced by seeing your family killed in a brutal fashion. Dorcy Rugamba is the survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which his parents and most of his family were murdered.   As an author and actor much of his work is strongly influenced by these events.

In Elder Hall, with the a large photo of his family as backdrop, Dorcy  told the story of his family  and how he now respects their memory, so that, although their lives were taken, they will not be forgotten. In his Letter to the Absent he recalls their lives, the closeness of the family, the issues which  concerned them, his last conversation with his father. After a long period of time   in revisiting his home, and reading his letter to the absent he has come to find some release from anger and to realise the the most important thing in life is love.

As an actor he tells his story passionately and vividly. He is not alone on the stage. With him is the musician Manjun, with a guitar, at times playing softly as Dorcy speaks and at other times singing, as a solo segment of the recital. His music lends poignancy to the performance.

This was a an heartfelt story, told from a personal experience. It is a compelling and thought provoking story. 

Dorcy Rugamba writer and performer 

Manjun musician

Elder hall  3-6 March