patterns of our genocides

Directed by
Ruwanthie de Chickera

“Dear Salwa,

In your horror I see the patterns of my own tragedy…

…patterns that first carve up a people and then try to erase them….”

Patterns of Our Genocides is a poignant and devastating love letter written by a young Rohingyan refugee to a friend trapped in Gaza. It reveals horrifyingly similar, recurring cadences of deep, systematic violence inflicted on both Palestinians and Rohingyans over the past 70 years.

It is 2024. A young Rohingyan refugee, watching the unfolding devastation of Palestine and its people, reflects on the genocide against his own community, drawing startling parallels and patterns.
Watching what is unfolding in Gaza reveals what happened in Rohingya.
Remembering what happened in Rohingya exposes what is happening in Palestine.
Runtime
30 minutes

Themes
Genocide, Gaza, Palestine, Rohingya, Structural corruption, Apartheid
Audience
PG 16+ : strong language depicting atrocities of genocide
Language
English

Patterns of our Genocides was created for and first performed at the World Conference on Statelessness, in February 2024, in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.
It was next staged in July 2024, at the 10th Ubumuntu Arts Festival, Kigali, marking 30 years after the Rwandan Genocide.
Director
Ruwanthie de Chickera
Choreography
Umeshi Rajeendra

Cast - Rwanda, July 2024
Murthaaz Barry
Akalanka Prabashwara
Bhanuka Ekanayake
Umeshi Rajeendra
Laly Benitta
Production Team
Samuel Sundaralingam, Tassy Dahlan, Rachel Cramer
Music from
Max Richter: The Waves: Tuesday : Three Worlds: Music From Woolf Works | ℗ 2017 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin