Poetry is a powerful way of expression and of inner transformation. Drawing on my research on poetry in Rwanda, I explore how the individual and the society can be/is transformed through poetic creativity
Paper long abstract:
In my presentation, I analyse the poetic creation of a young survivor of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda through the notion of temporality, relatedness and spatiality. The poem demonstrates the relation between the self and the collectivity and expresses the suffering on the body of the individual as well as on the society. I bring to light the meaning of poetic creation in the transformation of the self and the other. Therefore, I discuss how wisdom generated from poetic creativity can be implemented in social practices to bring a transformation of the society as a whole.