Presented by Jo Ingabire Moys and Jessica Hagan
Camden People’s Theatre
Leah is a strong, independent black woman. At least that’s the role she has been playing. But when she learns that she has to travel to Rwanda, the country of her birth which she left as a refugee, to receive a prestige award, her world implodes.
I Am Leah is inspired by ‘100 Days, 100 Stories’ – a powerful testimony of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and a tool for genocide education. The play brings these succinct moments of Rwandans’ lived experiences from page to stage, combining fictional narrative and real-life testimonies.
Marking the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, the play explores what it means to be a survivor, immigrant and British in a charged political climate against the backdrop of a universal mother-daughter story. With a deft touch of dark humor – a hallmark of Rwandan resilience – I Am Leah delves into the aftermath of displacement and educates as it captivates.
‘100 Days, 100 Stories: Rwandan Voices on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi’, published by Huza Press, will be released in the UK on the 10th of October.
Many thanks to the creatives with lived experience of war who helped shape this show with their feedback: Momtaza Mehri, Tasia Graham, Nick Mahoma, Majid Adin.
