Playwright Rahul Varma's decision to juxtapose the Armenian and the Rwandan genocides in his new play, State of Denial, makes for a doubly sobering evening of educational drama, Montreal Gazette reports.
“Although many films have been made about the genocide, including Atom Egoyan's 2002 movie Ararat, this is the first play I have seen on the subject. (A quick Internet search turned up Joyce Van Dyke's Deported /a dream play, now playing in Boston.),” the author of the article, Pat Donnelly, writes.
“The current Turkish government remains in a state of official denial about the massacre of the Armenians, which Hitler once boasted no one would remember. In contrast, news of the Rwandan genocide spread quickly around the world once the killing began, along with horrifying images on television screens.”
In order to bring both tragedies into his story, Varma shows a young Rwandan-born Canadian documentary filmmaker named Odette (played by Helen Koya) pursuing the life story of a Muslim woman named Sahana (Rachelle Glait). Sahana has devoted her life to helping female Armenian massacre survivors in Turkey overcome the aftermath of the genocide. On her deathbed, she reveals a hidden past, leaving Odette to connect the dots of the diaspora to Sahana's Canadian granddaughter (portrayed by Natalie Tannous).
Odette is clearly pursuing this story as part of her own healing process after losing family members in the Rwandan massacre.
The Armenian ambassador to Canada, Armen Yeganian, attended opening night and said a few words, remarking that the play spoke for itself.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about State of Denial is that it was written by a playwright born in India and features a multicultural cast, none of whom are of Armenian background.
There will be also panel discussions.
