TRANSOCEANIC STUDIES Ileana Rodríguez, Series Editor For my poto mitan— my maternal grandmother Ursula Hérard Scharoun, my mother Denise Acacia Jean-Charles and in loving memory of my paternal grandmother Anna Joseph Jean- Charles (1918–2007) Conflict Bodies The Politics of Rape Representation in the Francophone Imaginary RÉGINE MICHELLE JEAN-CHARLES THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS COLUMBUS Copyright © 2014 by The Ohio State University. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jean-Charles, Régine Michelle. Conflict bodies : the politics of rape representation in the francophone imaginary / Régine Michelle Jean-Charles. p. cm. — (Transoceanic studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8142-1246-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-8142-1246-8 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8142-9349-2 (cd-rom) — ISBN 0-8142-9349-2 (cd-rom) 1. French literature—Foreign countries—History and criticism. 2. Rape in literature. 3. Vio- lence in literature. 4. Politics and literature. 5. Haitian literature—History and criticism. 6. Guadeloupe literature (French)—History and criticism. 7. Rwandan literature (French)— History and criticism. 8. Congolese (Democratic Republic) literature (French)—History and criticism. I. Title. II. Series: Transoceanic studies. PQ3809.J43 2014 843'.9099729—dc23 2013025855 Cover design by Janna Thompson-Chordas Type set in Adobe Palatino Printed by Thomson-Shore, Inc. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Mate- rials. ANSI Z39–1992. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION Can the Subaltern Survivor Speak? The Global Politics of Rape Discourses 1 CHAPTER 1 “Bound to Violence?” A History of the Rape Trope in Francophone Studies 17 CHAPTER 2 Rethinking Political Rape: Genealogies of Sexual Violence in Haiti 57 CHAPTER 3 Islands Unbound: Beyond the Rape of the Land 101 CHAPTER 4 Beneath Layers of Violence: Images of Rape and the Rwandan Genocide 145 CHAPTER 5 Regarding the Pain of Congolese Women: Narrative Closure, Audience Affect, and Rape as a Tool of War 205 EPILOGUE Not Just (Any) Body Can Be a Global Citizen: Rape and Human Rights Advocacy in the Twenty-First Century 261 Notes 273 Bibliography 296 Index 307 The abundance of real suffering tolerates no forgetting. This suffering demands the con- tinued existence of art even as it prohibits it. It is now virtually in art alone that suffer- ing can find its own voice, consolation, without immediately being betrayed by it. —Theodor Adorno ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE 1 Congolese women protesting. Photo credit: Gwenn Dubourthoumieu/AFP/Getty Images 4 FIGURE 2 Little Crippled Haiti. Photo credit: Edouard Duval-Carrié 105 FIGURE 3 “Dans une prison au Rwanda, Yolande Mukagasana, survivante du génocide, est devant Patrice qui avoue avoir tué cent personnes.” Photo credit: Alain Kazinierakis, Les blessures du silence 183 FIGURE 4 Eugénie N from Les blessures du silence. Photo credit: Alain Kazinierakis, Les blessures du silence 190 FIGURE 5 Clémence and Agnès from Les blessures du silence. Photo credit: Alain Kazinierakis, Les blessures du silence 198 FIGURE 6 Victoire M. from Les blessures du silence. 37 ans, survivante du genocide au Rwanda. Bernadette N. 59 ans. Photo credit: Alain Kazinierakis, Les blessures du silence 199 FIGURE 7 Ruined, Josephine (Zainab Jah) dancing for soldiers. Photo credit: Kevin Berne/Ruined, La Jolla Playhouse 222 FIGURE 8 Ruined, Mama Nadi and Sophie (Tonye Patano and Carla Duren). Photo credit: Kevin Berne/Ruined, La Jolla Playhouse 226 vii viii • Illustrations FIGURE 9 Ruined, Salima’s death. Photo credit: Kevin Berne/Ruined, La Jolla Playhouse 229 FIGURE 10 Les recluses in Greek chorus. Photo credit: Danièle Pierre, Les recluses, Théâtre Varia 233 FIGURE 11 Les recluses masked. Photo credit: Danièle Pierre, Les recluses, Théâtre Varia 235 FIGURE 12 Les recluses, projected images. Photo credit: Danièle Pierre, Les recluses, Théâtre Varia 243 FIGURE 13 Berrlyze attending school. Photo credit: Sherrlyn Borkgren, Berrlyze’s Story 248 FIGURE 14 Girls fetching water. Photo credit: Sherrlyn Borkgren, Berrlyze’s Story 249 FIGURE 15 A young rape survivor and her father weave through the local market in the DRC. Photo credit: Sherrlyn Borkgren, Berrlyze’s Story 250 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS THIS BOOK is first and foremost a product of God’s grace. It is an impor- tant part of my prolonged meditation on how to “ . remember those who are suffering, as though you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3). Many have said that it takes a village for a book to be researched, written and published. I am blessed to have a vast village that spans cities, coun- tries, and continents. It is a village made up of family, academic, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual relationships that feed, sustain and grow me—I am filled with gratitude for the provision of these different villages. I began working on this project as a graduate student in the Depart- ment of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University. I am so grateful to the members of my dissertation committee: Alice Jardine, Abiola Irele, and Odile Cazenave. Alice always pushed me to boldly claim my feminist space and the stakes of my intervention. Abiola came to Har- vard at a key moment when those of us specializing in francophone lit- eratures were in need of his intellectual breadth. Odile is a generous soul who continues to provide guidance as a literary critic, dynamic teacher, and example of commitment to the field. When I first began delve into the vast topic of violence Mary Beth Clack showed me how indispensible thorough and thoughtful librarians are. I am also grateful to Tom and Ver- ena Conley who provided me with a village in Kirkland House where I benefited from their support both professionally and personally. When we ix x • Acknowledgments formed Black Graduate Ministries (BGM) during my last year on campus it became another village, rooted in faith, that helped to usher me out of Harvard. Through BGM I was blessed to meet future lifelong friends in Ben and Lilly Piper. I am incredibly thankful to many professors, mentors, and administra- tors at the University of Pennsylvania where I began my journey into the academy. I was first encouraged to become a scholar by Herman Beavers, Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, Pat Ravenell, and the late Susan Peterson- Pace under the auspices of the Mellon-Mays Mentoring Program. Lydie Moudileno brought me into the exciting field of francophone studies. By introducing me to black feminist theories, my mentor Farah Jasmine Griffin left an indelible mark that I will always cherish; it is from dear Dr. Farah that I first learned the importance of being an academic who engages both head and heart. I am thankful to the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African and Afri- can American Studies at the University of Virginia where I had the privi- lege of being a postdoctoral fellow. At U. Va. Deborah McDowell offered important counsel at a critical moment in my career. Luann Williams, Robert Fatton and Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton made Charlottesville feel like home. At Boston College this project transformed and matured significantly, and I am so grateful for my colleagues and friends who have been instru- mental in the process. I was warmly welcomed into the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures where I learned the meaning of col- legiality. I am especially grateful to Sarah Beckjord, Matilda Bruckner, Ourida Mostefai, Elisa Rhodes, and Laurie Shepard for their guidance and support. Ourida’s commitment to junior faculty mentoring has benefited me tremendously over the years. I am also grateful to Franco Mormando, who served as chair when I was in the final stages of the book. Kevin Newmark has gone beyond the call of duty as a reliable mentor who is incredibly generous with time and resources. Many thanks to David Quig- ley and Larry McLaughlin, who provided financial support through gener- ous subvention grants. Thank you so much to Larry Busenbark from BC’s library who was always available (and incredibly quick!) to help with my research related inquires. I am especially thankful to Pat de Leeuw for her wisdom and support over the years. I cannot say enough about the African and African Diaspora Studies Program: Shawn Copeland, Rhonda Frederick, Shawn McGuffey, Martin Summers, and Cynthia Young. It is an honor to be on this team of amazing Acknowledgments • xi thinkers. Cyn has taught me so much about navigating the academy, from her rigorous work ethic to her dazzling strategic mind. Rhonda is the per- fect combination of senior colleague, beloved friend, attentive mentor, and big sister. Martin Summers’s quiet brilliance, constant thoughtfulness, and wise counsel have meant so much to me. Shawn McGuffey has been a valu- able interlocutor who understands what it means to work on sexual vio- lence as not merely research, but as a deeper calling. I am also thankful to Zine Magubane, who was always available to discuss anything ranging from African feminisms to popular culture. I am grateful to my students at BC who have endured my lectures and ruminations on this difficult topic with curiosity and patience. Thank you to the students in my Black Feminisms and Femmes francophones classes for reminding me that cultivat- ing a feminist classroom is an important part of eradicating a rape culture. Didem Alkan deserves special thanks for volunteering to proofread pas- sages of the manuscript, as does my mentee Crystal Philippeaux, whose excitement about the project and concern for my wellbeing always warmed my heart. I owe an intellectual debt and infinite gratitude to my magnificent writing group, the New England Black Scholars Collective: Aliyyah Abdur-Rahman, Sandy Alexandre, Nicole Aljoe, Alisa Braithwaite, Soyica Colbert, Stéphanie Larrieux, Monica Ndounou, and Sam Vasquez.