Today, I want to share how theatre quite literally saved my life and helped me transition from a hidden poet to a "living testimony" of the power of performing arts.
The First Spark of 2006
My journey out of the shadows started earlier than I realized. In 2006, I wrote my very first song. I was terrified of it. I had notebooks full of poetry and lyrics, but I intended to keep them there forever.
Then came Frederick. He was my friend, my push and my courage. He didn’t just encourage me; he stood by my side until I finally stepped out in front of 400 students and teachers singing that song together. I will never forget that evening. It was scary, yes, but it was the first time I felt the vibration of an audience. Even so, the shell didn't break immediately.
I went back to my notebooks, back to the church choirs, and back to collaborating with other striving artists, still overthinking every move.
2011: The Year Everything Changed
Everything shifted when I joined Drama school in 2011 at the then Kigali Institute of Education. This wasn’t just about learning lines; it was about learning ME.
Between 2011 and 2013, I became part of a transformative project that some of you might remember: Project Rwanda. Working with the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the Kigali Institute of Education (now UR-CE), I was thrown into the world of applied theatre.
We weren't just "acting"; we were "playbuilding." We were taking complex life stories: scandals, joys, funerals, and celebrations and bringing them to the stage. For the first time, I wasn't just a body doing what I was told. I was an artist exploring themes of justice, forgiveness and humanism.
Through drama classes, I finally stopped overthinking. Dramatic expression gave me the "heed" to understand myself. I started agreeing with the reality I had tried to hide: I actually was an artist. I didn’t have to try to be one; I just had to live it.
Drama is Life, Theater is the Representation
People often ask me, "Mwalimu, what does theater mean to you?" To me, theater is everything. As an introvert, I’ve realized that Drama is life itself, and Theater is the representation of that life. In life, we go through so much "nothing" before we create something great. We face scandals, we face heartbreaks and we face depression. When we bring those moments to the stage, theater becomes a tool; an instructional, informational and healing tool. It allows us to process the scary stuff in a safe space.
My Recommendation
I am a living testimony that you don't have to stay trapped in your shell. Whether you are battling depression, struggling to understand your own personality or just feeling like you’re overthinking your existence, I believe everyone should try theater.
It isn't about being famous; it’s about exploration. It’s about taking those hidden notebooks and turning them into a voice. Theater allowed me to stop sweating the small stuff and start enjoying the person I was meant to be.
Theatre didn’t just give me a career; it gave me a way to breathe without overthinking. It saved my life by showing me that my life was worth living.
So, if you’re still hiding your story within yourself, your poetry in a notebook or staying in your shell because it feels safer, you haven't experienced another self of yourself. Take a drama class or something that you feel attached to. Step onto the stage.
If it could save a berk like me, imagine what it could do for you.
______
Artistically yours, Mwalimu B. Lakhpin