Nadine Abdulkarim
L’écriture de la mémoire dans Incendies de Wajdi Mouawad
(The writing of memory in Incendies by Wajdi Mouawad)
M.A in French Studies Department of French Studies Supervisor: Dr. Laté LawsonHellu
Incendies is a play written in French by Lebanese-Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad
set in an anonymous Middle Eastern country strongly reminiscent of his former homeland
of Lebanon. Oedipal themes, merged with the backdrop of a civil war gripping the nation
as well as modern day Quebec provide the setting and atmosphere for a story about
redemption and familial reunion.
This Master’s dissertation attempted to reveal how memory is transferred by women
within the unique scope of an unnamed middle eastern society struggling through an
ongoing civil war that both exiles and traps its women into isolation.
Memory is defined by Régine Robin as not only fragments of history, but also as a force
that lives within us, that structures the fabric of our identities involuntarily and
subconsciously. Memory is therefore fueled by our emotions and experiences and this
memory can be then passed onto younger generations. Incendies tells the story of a
mother searching for her son during her youth while also telling the story of twins
seeking out their long lost brother and unknown father. In the play, Nawal transfers her
memories to her twin children Jeanne and Simon by leaving behind fragmentary pieces of
her life after her death. Less tangible is the rage that she passes onto her children, rage
against her country for the illogical war it waged against itself, rage against her family for
forcing her to abandon her first son born out of wedlock, rage against her political captor
and torturer Abou Tarek, and rage against herself for not being able to find her son years
after she began searching for him. Jeanne and Simon inherit this rage from Nawal and in
turn use it against her, at first refusing to carry out the terms of her will.
Memory is also transferred between women as seen with the example of Sawda, Nawal’s
travelling companion, herself fleeing the rigid and isolated village life of her parents.
Sawda transfers to Nawal memories of their culture, their languages, their songs and their
old life, reminiscent of the hakawati, traditional oral storytellers. Nawal on her end
transfers memories of her new life to Sawda, teaching her how to read and write Arabic.
Through Nawal and Sawda during their exile, the spectator/reader witnesses the transfer
and preservation of old traditions and modern practices that shapes Middle Eastern
society, more specifically that of the Mashrek.
Mouawad merges his lived experiences in Lebanon, France and Quebec within his play to
create an authenticity that resonates with his audiences and uses women characters as
memory preservers and relocators to depict a story about a fictional family and about
Lebanon’s collective history.