For sixteen performances at the Ohio Theater (66 Wooster Street, SoHo, NYC) beginning April 5th
and running through April 29th, Leslie Lewis Sword brilliantly transforms herself into a host of
characters to tell the incredible story of Rwandan Genocide Survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza, a real life
messenger of hope.
Last year, performer and writer Sword traveled to Rwanda with Immaculée to develop this unique piece of theater. In fact, this
return of Immaculée to Rwanda was the subject of a SIXTY MINUTES feature this December, bringing
international attention to the story of MIRACLE IN RWANDA.
Immaculée's family was brutally murdered during the three-month slaughter that began in April 1994. Miraculously,
Immaculée managed to survive. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently and cramped together in an undiscovered
extra bathroom in a local pastor's home.
Immaculée's terror escalated as hundreds of machete-wielding killers searched the house repeatedly for her without success,
determined to find and butcher her. Ultimately, Immaculée moves beyond intense fear and rage, to find a deeper connection to
God than she ever thought possible.
With an uplifting message of forgiveness and compassion, in MIRACLE IN RWANDA Leslie Lewis Sword chronicles these
dramatic events through the interior life of Immaculée. The message is one of personal empowerment, of overcoming all obstacles
through the power of faith, and ultimately finding peace of mind amidst unbelievable hardship. Often called "our generation's
Anne Frank"—yet one who thankfully survived—the true miracle of Immaculée's story is her ability to
forgive.