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1981
Volume 22, Issue 3-4
  • ISSN: 1368-2679
  • E-ISSN: 1758-9142

Abstract

Résumé

Cet article propose une lecture critique de , pièce de théâtre écrite par le Congolais Julian Mabiala Bissila et par le comédien haïtien Miracson Saint-Val dans le cadre du Festival Quatre Chemins en Haïti (2017). A travers la manifestation de la violence dans l'œuvre, nous verrons que se dégage une esthétique de la performance de l'absurde qui lie la représentation scénique de la pièce au travail de l'écriture, les deux ouvrant sur une théâtralité que l'on pourrait qualifier de 'rituelle' (soit basée sur les techniques de l' 'ethnodrame' élaborées par Louis Mars). Il s'agit également de voir combien la pièce se prête à une juxtaposition possible de plusieurs réalités historiques, la guerre civile congolaise entrant sur scène en résonnance avec l'actualité haïtienne. Ces questions en suscitent une autre, à laquelle cet article tentera de répondre : Peut-on parler d'un 'théâtre de l'absurde' où l'absurde, le tragique et le rituel ensemble dans le continuum du colonialisme?

Abstract

This article offers a critical reading of , a play written by Congolese author Julian Mabiala Bissila and directed by Haitian director Miracson Saint-Val as part of the Quatre Chemins Theatre Festival in Haiti in 2017. It discusses the uses and meanings of the absurd in both the text and the performance, showing its links to the theme of violence as this relates to the Congolese Civil War, the immediate context of the play. The article also shows how Haitian director and actor Miracson Saint-Val grounds his performance in Vodou, using the theory of "ethnodrama" developed by the ethno-psychiatrist Louis Mars. This approach enables us to see how the play lends itself to the juxtaposition of several historical realities, and the possible resonances between the Congolese Civil War and Haitian history and contemporary reality. All of this raises an important question which this paper tries to answer: can we speak of a 'theatre of the absurd' in the context of colonialism, one in which the absurd, the tragic and ritual performance are necessarily intertwined?

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2019-12-01
2026-04-22

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/content/journals/10.1386/ijfs_00004_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): ethnodrame; Haïti; Julien Mabiala Bissila; Miracson Saint-Val; possession; théâtre; Vodou

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