Abatarutwa

Kigali, January 6 2014.

Abatarutwa: we are the best...

Dedicated to the Dancers and Staff of the Abatarutwa Cultural Troup and to the Cabinet Staff of the Rwandan Ministry of Sports and Culture.

The 'Abatarutwa Cultural Troup', is a traditional (now also contemporary) dance group of young men and women, largely orphans. It was formed as a way of creating jobs for themselves while exploring and deploying their talents for the good of the country.

For Abatarutwa group members, the fact that they are still alive is a high value for which ex-combatants, who sacrificed their lives for them should be thanked.

I had the privilege to work with those young men and women for almost three weeks. And despite the logistic difficulties and communication problems due to the language it was an incredible experience, physically and emotionally, for them and for me. When I saw their faces yesterday at the end of the show case in Kanombe receiving their certificates from Jean Butoto and signed by the Minister of Sports and Culture, MITALI - K - Protais, himself I was so proud of them for their involvement and achievement.

I will have two weeks free of teaching now before going back to Europe but I know that before the end of the day I will already miss working with my 'kids'.

Last week Monday we brought a visit to the Genocide Memorial in Murambi with the six main dancers as they wanted to be confronted with the mummified bodies of genocide victims to go into their roles they had to 'dance' in the 'Agaciro'  movie. First there was the fact that the guide forgot the keys of the classrooms where a thousand bodies are kept. But as we came mainly for that they persevered in waiting and when the keys arrived almost four hours later we could finally enter the rooms.  Meanwhile we visited the permanent exhibition with the excellent guide and we had a question and answer session in the conference room. If you ever go to Rwanda, you have to visit Murambi if you want to really understand the atrocities of genocide.

Once back in Kigali I was exhausted after two trips to Butare and surroundings in three days, but the views of the landscapes along the road from Kigali are a must see! I was with the family on a wet! wedding on Saturday and on Sunday we visited family members in the Butare high countryside.

Last Tuesday we finally started the last preparations for the movie and we were rehearsing the whole day in a classroom in the National Stadium Amahoro. As it was too difficult to organize proper logistics to make the movie in Murambi we had to look for alternatives. I could clearly see the impact of our visit to Murambi in how the dancers were implementing their roles. After a day of hard working and a late nap at home I was heading for a New Year celebration in a very beautiful house somewhere in the hills surrounding Kigali with some fifty family members and friends. Delicious food, good drinks, nice conversations, music and dance till 8 - read eight - o'clock in the morning... at six I closed my eyes seated in one of the luxury sofa's but the lady of the house served  breakfast at seven and after that the whole bunch of people started drinking and dancing again. As usual I was the only white skinned (don't dare to call me muzungu) and the oldest of the company but after all not unsatisfied about my presence there.   

I have spent January First sleeping, napping, resting, yawning. Happy New Year to all of you!

On January second we made the 'AGACIRO'  (our dignity) movie!. It's about the genocide dead reviving and become strong children, women and men again.

I had two cameramen, twelve dancers, two small camera's (thanks to UNESCO-IHE and Rob!) a classroom and the National Stadium Amahoro to realize the movie in one day!

A realistic movie director shouldn't even start the job but we did it and we made it. The editing has to be done in the Netherlands and I'm already eye winking to Maria Rusca and Rob... ;-) The movie should be ready for launch during the 20th commemoration of the genocide in April.

Yesterday during the show case in Kanombe the dancers performed 'Agaciro' for the first time in public and the audience was touched, affected and moved.

Friday evening I took the brave task of cooking pasta for a bunch of twelve people (five adults and seven children) There is like an Italian supermarket in Kigali where I could buy most of the ingredients. I think I was quite successful as nothing was left from three kg of pasta, two kg of sauce and one kg of meat. I had even to prepare another 250 g of pasta + sauce etc. for Aron the manservant of the family who had a fantastic evening seeing a man cooking. He finished his plate completely and enthusiastically although he found those long spaghetti difficult to handle.

Today Nounou went for the first time to school but was send back home because of the tresses (dreadlocks) in her hair...meanwhile she's back from the hairdresser and Francoise will make a new attempt tomorrow! This afternoon I go with the kids to the swimming pool of a hotel nearby (the hotel owner is a family member) and later I have a meeting in town with Evariste the former president of the Rwandan participants of UNESCO-IHE, doing his data collection in preparation of his MSC thesis....  Coffee time in Bourbon Coffee Kigali....mmmmm.

All this is a survivor kit for an addicted dance teacher facing vacation.

'n0tes' dance: https://vimeo.com/82683622

'AGACIRO' Invitation for first live performance in Kanombe.