Trauma Beyond Narrative: Maria Kizito and the Postdramatic Representation of Genocide

Erik Ehn’s Maria Kizito dramatically digs deep into the complexities of trauma, memory, and complicity within the context of the 1994 Rwandan genocide by focusing on the story of a catholic nun accused of taking part in the massacre. Drawing on Hans-Thies Lehmann’s theory of postdramatic theatre as developed in his seminal book of the same title, this research paper critically examines how the key characteristics of this unconventional theatrical form are employed in the play. As such, the present paper explores how Ehn uses fragmentation, silence, non-linearity, physicality, and juxtaposition to indulge the audience in the ruptured and haunting reality of the genocide trauma. The playwright breaks away with the conventional linear structure and homogeneous composition of drama as laid down since the time of Aristotle, employing instead fluid time sequence, cyclic plot structure, fragmented language, and potent symbols to communicate the fractured nature of the traumatic memory. Through breaking the fourth wall and getting the audience in direct contact with the actors, Ehn aims to position the audience as witnesses to the trauma with all its complexities. The theatre is, therefore, transformed into a space of moral reflection where the audience are invited through the unresolved questions they face and the discomfort they feel to engage actively with the moral ambiguities of genocide. The main objective of this research paper is, then, to position Maria Kizito as a prototypical example of how postdramatic theatre, in contrast to conventional theatrical forms, can effectively address the inexpressible dimensions of trauma associated with genocide through engaging the audience with profound, unsettling moral questions about faith, humanity, and complicity.