Traumatic Memory and the Haunting Presence in Véronique Tadjo's Shadows of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda

Ebi Susan Itubo

doi:10.56201/ijelcs.vol.11.no3.2026.pg29.37

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Traumatic Memory and the Haunting Presence in Véronique Tadjo's Shadows of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda

Ebi Susan Itubo

Abstract

The paper examines traumatic memory and the haunting presence in Veronica Tadjo’s Shadows of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda. The novel, in the form of a memoir, addresses the genocidal experiences of the people of Rwanda and the effect of these experiences on the lives of the people. The place of recollection, witnessing and confession dominate the narrative because characters endure peculiar but related traumatic experiences. The paper argues that revealing these issues is a way of advocating for the healing of these troubled characters because they pair their existence with the measure from the literary personages, thereby feeling the needed consolation. The paper deploys the theory of memory as the novelist compel characters to recount their experiences by jogging their memory, making remembering the key narrative tool of the narrative. Through the analysis of the novel, it is revealed that the novelist uses her novel to bear witness to the genocide’s horrors while uncovering the deep and lasting scars and its imprints on individuals, communities, and the collective cultural memory of Rwanda, where cyclical trauma dominates the concern of the novel. The need to avoid further worsening experiences in the Rwandan society is to sue for peace at all cost, characters in the novel advocate for this stance as revealed in the narrative. Key Words: Rwanda, Genocide, Trauma, Memory, History

Keywords

RwandaGenocideTraumaMemoryHistory

References

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Traumatic Memory and the Haunting Presence in Véronique Tadjo's Shadows of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda

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