An exquisitely funny sitcom that should be on the BBC

Agathe by Angela J. Davis follows the early phases of the Rwanda genocide 30 years ago. The subject, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, became prime minister on 18 July 1993 but her tenure ended abruptly when she was assassinated by a rioting mob which surrounded the UN compound where she was sheltering on 7 April 1994. She saved her children, according to some accounts, by sacrificing her own life. This is a rough-and-ready play that tells the story impressionistically through monologues, rap lyrics, news broadcasts and reconstructed scenes at the UN headquarters. It doesn’t pretend to offer a full historical account but it generates a horrible mood of impending doom.

Agathe is an anomaly, a member of the majority Hutu tribe who entered politics with very little preparation. She was a chemistry teacher whose vocal support for women’s education led to her appointment as minister for schools. She rose to more senior positions by accident and she was always more interested in people than in public life. Like others in Rwanda, she knew the risks of inter-tribal violence and she’d heard rumours that ‘50,000 machetes’ had been imported from China. The Hutus were ready to turn on the Tutsis at any moment, and even professional people, such as teachers and doctors, carried concealed knives.

The show criticises the UN peace-keepers, ‘with blue helmets, blue eyes and white jeeps’, and yet some of the UN personnel were desperate to protect the Tutsis. When the slaughter began, they received fresh instructions warning them not to let ‘peace-keeping’ turn into ‘peace-making’. It’s a classic of bureaucratic double-speak. The UN were effectively ordered to stay in their barracks instead of halting the bloodshed. Agathe expresses no surprise at the UN’s indifference and she expects little help from the Americans either.