Stolen Stories and Untold Histories: Power Dynamics in A Very Very Very Dark Matter by Martin McDonagh

Abstract

This study analyses A Very Very Very Dark Matter (2018) by Martin McDonagh in terms of its depiction of power dynamics between racially marginalised characters and white European powerholders, drawing on theories about power relations including Michel Foucault’s work. The play portrays Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Dickens as fictionalised characters, depicting them as two unjustly acclaimed writers who exploit two Congolese pygmy women to produce their stories. These two writers build their career by stealing and suppressing these pygmy women’s voice and benefiting from a discourse that deems them superior. However, the play complicates these power relations by blurring the lines between the marginalised and the powerholder groups. Andersen and Dickens are presented as incapable writers despite their international fame whereas pygmy writers Mbute and Ogechi are presented as literary authorities and strong-willed characters that also aim to re-write the Congo’s history by travelling back in time and preventing the racist killings in the Congo under King Leopold II’s rule. Therefore, this paper aims to argue that Dark Matter reveals how both told and untold stories play a crucial role in shaping history, while also underlining the fluid nature of power dynamics that can be challenged, hence paving the way for an alternative narrative for the marginalised.

Keywords

• A Very Very Very Dark Matter
• fluidity of power
• marginalisation
• Martin McDonagh
• re-shaping history

Çalınan Hikayeler ve Anlatılmamış Tarih: Martin McDonagh’in A Very Very Very Dark Matter Adlı Oyununda İktidar Dinamikleri

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Martin McDonagh’ın A Very Very Very Dark Matter (2018) adlı oyununu, Michel Foucault’nun çalışmalarını da kapsayan güç ilişkileri teorileri ışığında, ırk bağlamında ötekileştirilmiş karakterler ile beyaz Avrupalı iktidar sahipleri arasındaki güç dinamiklerinin temsili açısından incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Oyun, Hans Christian Andersen ve Charles Dickens’ı, eserlerini yazmaları için iki Kongolu pigme kadını tutsak eden, haksız biçimde ün kazanmış karakterler olarak tasvir eder. Bu iki yazar, söz konusu kadınların seslerini bastırıp hikayelerini çalarak ve kendilerini üstün kılan bir söylemden faydalanarak kariyerlerini inşa ederler. Öte yandan, oyun, marjindekiler ile iktidar sahipleri arasındaki sınırları belirsizleştirerek bu güç ilişkilerini karmaşıklaştırır. Andersen ve Dickens, uluslararası ünlerine rağmen yetersiz yazarlar olarak sunulurken, pigme yazarlar Mbute ve Ogechi hem edebi otoriteler hem de ülkelerinin tarihini yeniden yazmayı amaçlayan güçlü iradeli karakterler olarak betimlenir. Özellikle Andersen’in eserlerini kaleme alan Mbute, Andersen’in tutsaklığından kurtulmayı başarır ve II. Leopold döneminde Kongo’da yaşanan ırkçı katliamları engellemek üzere yola çıkar. Bu bağlamda bu çalışma, Dark Matter oyununun hem anlatılan hem de anlatılmayan hikayelerin tarihin şekillenmesinde oynadığı belirleyici role işaret ettiğini ve aynı zamanda sorgulanabilir, değişken bir doğaya sahip güç dinamiklerinin altını çizerek marjindekiler için alternatif bir anlatı olasılığı sunduğunu ileri sürmektedir.

Keywords

• A Very Very Very Dark Matter
• Değişken güç dengeleri
• Martin McDonagh
• Ötekileştirilme
• Tarihin yeniden şekillendirilmesi

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