A dance of hope in Rwanda

Dance Magazine, August, 2004 by Jimmie Briggs

JULES MUSASIZI is not a typical ballet director, and his troupe, the Ballet National du Rwanda, is not a typical company. Ten years ago, the central African nation of Rwanda was the site of one of the bloodiest episodes of ethnic cleansing since World War II. A campaign led by the ethnic Hutu population against the majority Tutsi group resulted in the deaths of approximately one million people in several months' time. Musasizi was a witness to and survivor of the carnage. "I lost many members of my family," he observes somberly. "I used to hate myself for surviving. After the genocide I was very depressed, but for me music and the arts were therapy."

A year ago, Musasizi took over the Ballet National du Rwanda after working for the National Commission of Reconciliation. There, he used music, dance, and art as tools for bringing together the survivors and perpetrators of the genocide, both Hum and Tutsi. Now he oversees a dance group of several ethnic groups, all of whom were touched by the horrors in one way or another.

Thirty years ago, President Juvenal Habyarimana ordered the creation of the Ballet National du Rwanda to promote the cultural and folkloric traditions of the nation. At its height, the company included 200 members and, according to Musasizi, in 1987 and 1988 was internationally recognized as the world's best folkloric dance company. Rwanda's 100-day genocide was triggered by Habyarimana's death in a plane crash on April 6, 1994.

"What has changed for us is the national importance given to the folkloric tradition," observes Musasizi, 31, several days after a countrywide observance of the genocide at the National Stadium in the capital city of Kigali. "It shows the world that Rwanda has a sense of life, that the people here are not wild animals but human beings. Normally, the artist is a balanced individual. More than ever, dance and the Ballet National are important to Rwanda."

In 1999, Jean Baptiste Nkulikiyinka, the company's founding director, fled to Belgium after he was implicated in the genocide. In fact, many members were either victims or perpetrators in the killing campaign, although Musasizi does not have the precise number.

The Ballet National du Rwanda's existence is precarious. Rehearsals are irregular and, even though the members number over 100, only a core group meets regularly to train. The ballet is a public organization that includes members of various companies throughout Rwanda. Mostly, the group performs at festivals and events in Rwanda, as international navel must be fully paid for by sponsors. In 2000, the Ballet National appeared at the Washington Corrections Center for Women during a visit to the Seattle International Children's Festival.

Despite the hardships that members face, Jacqueline Umuriza is happy to be a part of the struggle. "It's my pleasure to be a dancer," the 24-year-old proclaims. Umuriza is Rwandan but was born in Uganda and lived there during the genocide. "Ballet and dance can promote our country. When you're in a group like this, it's medicine. You're singing, dancing, and being happy. It's possible to forget about your problems."