ABSTRACT

This article positions theatre as a site for victims and activists to action their resistance against Gukurahundi related incarceration and human rights abuse perpetrated in the 1980s. Through case studying Talitha Koum and 1983, we examine resistance strategies deployed through theatre performance to expose Gukurahundi violence, invigorate debate and hold public officials accountable. We submit that theatre performance offers a ‘liberation’ of cultural memory from state regimes of censorship and suppression. We observe that performances served as a form of agentic resistance against the original acts of violence perpetrated during the genocide, and the subsequent ‘psychological incarceration’ experienced by victims.

摘要

本文将剧院定位为受害者和活动家对 1980 年代与 Gukurahundi 相关的监禁和侵犯人权行为进行抵抗的场所。通过案例研究 Talitha Koum 和 1983，我们研究了通过戏剧表演部署的抵抗策略，以揭露 Gukurahundi 的暴力、激发辩论和追究公职人员的责任。我们认为，戏剧表演提供了文化记忆从审查和压制的国家政权中“解放”的机会。我们观察到，表演是对种族灭绝期间犯下的原始暴力行为以及随后受害者经历的“心理监禁”的一种代理抵抗形式。