Raging Silence. From sexual violence in the context of civil wars to the duty of memory

Abstract

Raging Silence. From sexual violence in the context of civil wars to the duty of memory

Rape was a recurrent crime during Rwanda’s civil war. Three women that survived the genocide had their voices released in Michaël Sztanke and Gael Faye’s documentary film Le silence des mots (2022). Based on an eclectic documental collection, this paper approaches sexual violence against women in the African continent from a historical perspective, aiming to comprehend the silence of women on this issue. In films and books, the new African generation possesses new archives to compose their “post-memory.” Drawing on examples from literature, the paper discusses the duty of memory about crimes committed against women in the context of civil wars and the silence about rape.