Our house

“Our House” was a joint project by the HELIOS Theater in Hamm and the Ishyo Arts Centre in Kigali to develop a theatre piece for children and adults on the subject of memory.

The ensemble began by conducting research in Hamm and Kigali. They visited genocide memorials in Rwanda and Shoah memorial sites in Germany, and investigated vacant buildings in both countries which still contained traces of those whose stories have long passed from memory. In three rehearsal phases in Kigali und Hamm, the five performers, musicians and two stage directors from both theatres came together to tell stories about houses – dwellings which have been abandoned or destroyed, which no longer provided a home or refuge. By way of philosophical poems, they compiled these personal tales to create a story of what it means to be human. The aim was to get children and adults interested in the history of both countries and encourage dialogue between generations.

Following performances in Hamm and Kigali, the production went on tour through Africa and Europe in 2017. In May 2017, it was invited to the ASSITEJ World Congress and International Theatre Festival in Cape Town.

Artistic directors: Carole Karemera (RW) and Barbara Kölling (DE)
Composers: Roman D. Metzner (DE), Hervé Twahirwa (RW)
Text: Steffen Moor (DE) and ensemble
Performance artists: Eliane Umuhire (RW), Helena Aljona Kühn (DE), Hervé Kimenyi (RW), Marko Werner (DE), Michael Lurse (DE)
Live music: Hervé Twahirwa (RW)