From the novel titled “All the scattered children by Rwandan Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse, the play brings to life the almost murky story that happened in Rwanda during the genocide.
“But beyond that, there is a message of conviviality, of living together and of a spiritual transmission between generations”confided Antoine Yirika, while continuing that “It is therefore the story of a woman called Immaculata or Mama who gave birth to Blanche, a mixed-race girl born to a father of French nationality and a Tutsi-Rwandan mother. Because there is also the history of cultural mixing in there. Finally, she ended up going into exile in France because of the war between Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda”.
This lady benefiting from her dual Franco-Rwandan nationality will definitely take up residence in France, her father’s country of origin, where she will study. She will later meet a man at the university she was dating called Samora. The two will have a son, Stokely.
“All your scattered children also speak of a spiritual transmission between three generations. That is to say the grandmother Immaculata, Blanche the daughter and Stokely the grandson. And it’s Stokely who will continue to tell this story to people, like what American author Alex Haley experienced in “Roots”, with Nkuta Nkité as the main actor. pointed out the director.
“It’s pretty much like what we experienced in the Pool, in terms of events. It is an intra-national war (…) In the case of Rwanda, it was the Hutus who wanted to decimate the Tutsis. So with a national outburst, the Tutsis defended themselves and were able to drive out the Hutus, who were less democratic”.
Antoine Yirika noted some imperfections in the presentation of this piece. Because, he explains, there have been many twists and turns. The room “All your children scattered” conveys the exact nature of the characters who were really unstable. “But, I think the child is there. So it needs to be perfected.” he added.
This play took viewers back 28 years, to April 1994, when the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda broke out. Only, Antoine Yirrika reserves the right to recognize the beginning of the success of this piece. “It’s still a construction site. A show is appreciated in all areas. It’s not just the acting, the staging. Rather, you need a beautiful set, beautiful costumes, sound and light,” he advanced.
Bienvenu Makita, artist-actor, was deeply touched by this play which takes up the melancholy and the martyrdom experienced by the Tutsis. “This play brought us back to a family that experienced this sad event in the flesh. She noted, in passing, the difficulties encountered in exile, abroad, particularly in France. It is also a piece that has a future insofar as it can still be played. Because history doesn’t just end with the genocide, but rather what comes after this sad period.”he confided.
Note that the Tchicaya-U-Tam’si association was born from the ashes of a troupe created in the 1990s called Terre du scorpion. A defector from the Ngunga artisanal troupe, in time. The leaders thought it better to organize themselves around a non-governmental organization bearing this name. Since then, she has done creation, socio-cultural and development activities.
Mantsina on stage: the play “All your children scattered” on the boards