Genocide play taken to villages

IN A hilltop village in Rwanda, residents watch intently as a small troupe of actors perform a play adapted from a best-selling French novel - written far away but echoing a story that is painfully close to home.

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Small Country tells the story of Gaby, whose carefree childhood is torn apart by civil war in Burundi and then the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

Some of the Burundian and Rwandan actors performing in the village of Nyamata were themselves survivors of the genocide.

"It was truly perfect, but after a few minutes, I started crying," said Claudine, 40, watching the play.

"It brought back so many memories of the past," she added, before halting the interview, overwhelmed by emotions.