A PSYCHOANALYSIS OF INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN VÉRONIQUE TADJO'S THE SHADOW OF IMANA

Abstract

Poor management of intercultural conflict has always been the bane of growth and development in any multiethnic nation. This was attested by the Rwandan nation that was ravaged by genocide in1994. As Véronique Tadjo travelled to Rwanda in 1998 to visit the sites of massacre and hear the voices of the victims, the horrors of the tragedy were documented in a blend of fact and fiction. Using her work, The Shadow of Imana as a background and the framework of the psychoanalytic theory, this paper examines the factors that engendered the intercultural conflict. It also analyses the brave psychological approaches adopted by the victims, the government, those involved directly or otherwise in managing intercultural conflict. It therefore informs on the urgency of tackling any brewing intercultural conflict in order to forestall the escalation of crises as was the case in Rwanda