- A remarkable group of Rwandan women defies the devastation of the genocide to form the country's first all-female drumming troupe and open the country's first ice cream shop.
- Ingoma Nshya is Rwanda's first and only all women's drumming troupe. Made up of women from both sides of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the troupe offers a place of support, healing and reconciliation. When the group decides to partner with two young American entrepreneurs, Jennie Dundas and Alexis Miesen of Brooklyn's Blue Marble Ice Cream, and open Rwanda's first ever ice cream shop, these remarkable Rwandan women embark on a journey of independence, peace and possibility. SWEET DREAMS interweaves intimate, heart-wrenching stories with joyous and powerful music to present a moving portrait of a country in transition.—International Film Circuit
- Powerful sounds pierce the silence of the Rwandan countryside. Curious children gawk outside the gate. This is something new in Rwanda a group of women, 70 strong, pounding out rhythms of power and joy.
In 1994 Rwanda suffered a devastating genocide. Close to a million people were killed by neighbors, friends, even family. Horror swept the land. And when it was over, those who remained were broken, dead inside.
The country has made great strides in economic recovery, but people are not like roads and buildings says Kiki Katese, a pioneering Rwandan theater director. How do we rebuild a human being?
Kiki decided to start Ingoma Nshya, Rwandas first and only womens drumming troupe, open to women from both sides of the conflict. There was only one requirement: to leave the categories of the past at the gate.
For Marta, a Hutu whose Tutsi husband was killed; Seraphine, who was only eight when she was orphaned; Regine, whose parents are in prison as perpetrators of the killing, the group has been a place to begin to live again, to build new relationships, to heal the wounds of the past. Yet the struggle to survive and provide for their families still persists.
So when Kiki came up with the idea to open Rwandas first and only ice cream shop, the women were intrigued What was ice cream exactly and how would they do it?
Kiki invited Jennie and Alexis of Brooklyns Blue Marble Ice Cream to come to Rwanda to help the drummers open their shop, which they aptly named Inzozi Nziza (Sweet Dreams)
Sweet Dreams follows this remarkable group of Rwandan women as they emerge from the devastation of the genocide to create a new future for themselves.
Because of our history, people know how to fight against, but not for" Kiki says. "We want to change that equation.
While other films have documented the atrocity of the Rwandan genocide, Sweet Dreams tells a new kind of story - exploring Rwandans own dreams for moving away from this dark past and into a different kind of future.
Sweet Dreams celebrates the strength of the human spirit in the face of great brutality and loss. It is a story of resilience and the importance of joy as a staple of human existence.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content