Burundi is the 76th country in which the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre played Hamlet’s Shakespeare. The event was held on 9th February 2015 at the King’s Conference Centre.-By Diane Uwimana
The actors perform at the stage ©Iwacu
The audience was filled with approximately 250 people, mostly expatriates, “The English language is the major obstacle for Burundians who wish to come and watch the play”, says Ketty Nivyabandi, one of Burundians present in that room.
Philip Body, who is working temporarily in Burundi for peacekeeping forces in Somalia, attended. He stated that exploration of the English language could involve reading, watching TV and DVDs and attending the theatre. “It helps to improve the language. Moreover, there are gestures that should inspire the spectators,” adds Body.
The piece performed by the theatre troupe was a famous one – fantastic accompanied by folkloric music. The story was a kind of revenge and tragedy. “But the end was an ambiguous, the story doesn’t let spectators discover themselves the end,” indicates Body.
The Shakespeare’s globe theatre is composed of twelve actors and four stage managers. They have 129 countries remaining to visit. “We are traveling to every country on earth between April 2014 and April 2016. In two years, we will perform and share the Shakespeare’s story and message in 205 countries”, stated Beruce Khan, one of the actors.
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