Performing Trauma in Central Africa
Performing Trauma in Central Africa What are the stakes of cultural production in a time of war? In the charged political terrain of post-genocide Rwanda, post-civil war Uganda, and recent violence…
Specifikacia Performing Trauma in Central Africa
Performing Trauma in Central Africa
What are the stakes of cultural production in a time of war? In the charged political terrain of post-genocide Rwanda, post-civil war Uganda, and recent violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Laura Edmondson explores performance through the lens of empire. How is artistic expression prone to manipulation by the state and international humanitarian organizations?
Working at the intersection of performance and trauma, Edmondson reveals how artists and cultural workers manipulate narratives in the shadow of empire and how empire, in turn, infiltrates creative capacities. Instead of celebrating theatre productions as expression of cultural agency and resilience, Edmondson traces their humanitarian imperatives to a place where global narratives of violence take precedence over local traditions and audiences.