Red Bus Londinium Life

Thirty years since the Rwandan Genocide, Agathe at the Playground Theatre is a powerful piece of theatre storytelling, casting a research-informed gaze on a little known (and, as it turns out, short-lived) Rwandan leader, Agathe Uwilingiyimana. Playwright Angela J. Davis researched many testimonies and the play is a reminder of theatre’s ability to teach and inform audiences about episodes in history they may know little about.

In 1994, after a plane crash takes the life of the former Rwandan president, and a killing spree begins, moderate Hutu politician Uwilingiyimana is now president. With her family targetted, sacrificial decisions mean she is only in this role for 14 hours. The grief she feels, for her family and her country, is ably laid bare by Natasha Bain. Her back story as a chemistry teacher and her wish for people to live together and be educated shines through.

The quick wits and personal initiative of Senegalese officer Mbaye Diagne (Rio Attoh-Wood) are also an inspiring lesson for the audience. A hero of the conflict, he ignored rules and used his humour and an understanding of what bribes would work on young checkpoint guards to rescue many people before his own death.

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Agathe could easily be a depressing watch, as this is not easy subject matter, but the humour of the characters is used to make us warm to them and enjoy our time in their company, even as it necessarily ends in all the wrong ways. The whole cast is strong and their very human strengths and weaknesses are compassionately explored.

It is little surprise that Angela J. Davis has won awards for this piece. It would be a satisfying theatre trip for anyone interested in modern history.

Have you seen Agathe? What did you think?