Rwanda and Burundi were colonized by the German from 1885 to 1919, as part of German East Africa. Both countries had long shared similar history, language and culture. All these were brought to life in a de-colonial theatre production dubbed ‘Heritage Bond’ performed on Sunday, October 23 in Kigali. The performance was organised by Grey Stories, a platform for artists based in Germany. Clad in red and black, actors Natacha Karangwa, Nina Salim, ABC Poet, Abdoul Rusine, and Laly Sangano, from Burundi, appeared on stage seeking answers to their lost heritage and calling on their ancestors for strength to claim it back. Tete Loeper, a Rwandan writer based in Germany was the perfect person to write and direct the play since she swings in both cultures. “There was a time Germany colonized Rwanda and Burundi and now we are living in post-colonial times but still, when someone looks critically at how global north countries are operating in Africa, you question if we live in independence and freedom or if there is still some colonialism left over,” Loeper said of the production. During the play, singers Andersonne Uwineza, Dee Isimbi and Inanga player Esther Niyifasha performed local music. “We chose the music to play from here because Rwanda and Burundi both play the inanga and the play being about heritage and bonding, the Inanga is the bonding factor between the two countries,” she said. She explained that they used art to show young people that they can claim their history and define their own identity. “The play was about how we can bring back Burundian and Rwandan heritage together. In the play there are some names of drums, the languages are also very close but because of colonialism, the countries were separated. “Also, the people do business together yet for art, there are not so many projects going on between Burundians and Rwandans. I wondered why countries that used to live like brothers are not working together even when we are no longer living in colonialism.” Lost tunes Before the play, artiste Pacy Bolingo, Inanga player Nkuba performed local songs, as a collection of 83 tunes that date as back as 1907 played in the background. These ancient recordings from Rwanda were discovered by Konstatin Dupelius, a German actor and artist at the ethnological museum in Germany, where they were borrowed. “I started a research project and I’m trying to collect as many old tunes from the Germany colonial times that are still laying in Germany because we have huge archives with so many recordings and no one knows about them. In a kind of way, they are also ‘stolen’ or at least lost cultural heritage. This is what I would love to bring back to life and give back to the culture here by collaborating with local artists ,” he said. After Belgium returning to Rwanda old recordings taken during their colonial period, last year, he hopes that Germany will follow suit and “returns them where they belong.” “I am also working with Michael Makembe to collect old melodies. Maybe in this way we will find a partner to establish an archive in Rwanda for all the melodies from there because they belong here. Maybe this should be the next step to put force on the institutions in Germany to be officially given back,” Dupelius added.
