One woman's story of the power of hope and faith will be gracing the stage at UB this spring when the play 'Miracle in Rwanda' arrives on campus.
The production, a one-person show starring Leslie Lewis Sword, tells the story of Immaculée Ilibagiza, a Tutsi woman who along with several others, hid in a bathroom for 91 days during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Ilibagiza lost her entire family in the massacre and was forced to survive purely by her wits before a local pastor led her to a hiding place in his home.
For the duration of her confinement, Ilibagiza lived in constant fear of being found and murdered. Eventually, her religious faith and ability to forgive her tormentors helped her survive.
Ilibagiza, author of the New York Times bestseller 'Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust', has become a renowned motivational speaker and was a recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Reconciliation and Peace Award.
Sword plays a variety of characters throughout the play, channeling the emotions of fear, hatred, and ultimately hope which fuel Ilibagiza's story.
The actress first heard of Ilibagiza's tale when she spoke while on a tour with PBS icon and author Wayne Dyer.
'[Imaculée] realized her mind would kill her before the killers ever would,' Sword said. '[So] she said the rosary all day long in order to stay sane, and that helped her to get through, [and along the way], it transformed her heart. I heard that and thought, ‘I want to play her.'
The overarching theme of 'Miracle in Rwanda' is one of forgiveness and finding inner peace, a message both women of the play agree with.
'I appreciate [this play] because [Imacluée] let the world know what was happening in Rwanda during the OJ Simpson trial,' Sword said. 'After this part, I call myself an advocate and great friend of Rwanda.'
Sword travelled to Rwanda with Ilibagiza for the first return trip to her country since the genocide. The visit was the subject of a '60 Minutes' feature that brought global recognition to the play.
In her portrayal of Imacluée Ilibagiza, Sword has become truly committed to the future of Rwanda, especially its children.
She was educated at Harvard University and the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received both the Streisand/Sony Fellowship and the Theatre Faculty Memorial Award.
Sword has also starred as Dorothy Dandridge in Jamal William's one-woman show, 'Yesterday Came Too Soon,' as well as her own single woman revue 'Leslieland,' both off-Broadway in 2005 and 2006.
Her current show is undergoing its first world tour and has been performed on five continents, most recently in India.
'Miracle in Rwanda' is relevant and uniquely important to UB, as it will be presented in memorial of Alison Des Forges, a Buffalo resident, activist and author who attempted to bring Rwanda to the attention of the international community before her death in the crash of Continental Airlines Flight 3407 last February.
For more information on 'Miracle in Rwanda,' set to perform from Feb. 11 to Feb. 13 in the Student Union Theatre, visit www.miracleinrwanda.com
E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
