The Book of Life

During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, one million people were killed in one hundred days. The Book of Life is an uplifting theatrical experience blending storytelling, shadow puppetry, and drumming that dwells on resilience and recovery — not loss — as it explores how people contend with tragedy through a fierce and joyful assertion of life. Featuring the true story of Rwandan writer/performer/women’s rights advocate Kiki Katese and her “Book of Life”—a collection of letters written by ordinary Rwandese to the victims of the genocide — this play sheds a hopeful light on the plight of women and girls in Rwanda and the possibility of improving lives through art.

• Co-created, written, and performed by Odile Gakire Katese
• Co-created and directed by Ross Manson
• Projection design by Sean Frey
• Composed by Mutangana Moise
• Featuring Ingoma Nshya, The Women Drummers of Rwanda