A Theoretical Framework for the Representation of Trauma in Post-Conflict Nigerian Theatre

Post-conflict Nigerian theatre has increasingly engaged with collective and individual trauma arising from Biafra, the Niger Delta conflict, ethno-religious violence, and Boko Haram insurgency, yet no systematic theoretical framework has been developed to guide analysis of how these traumatic histories are represented and processed in Nigerian theatrical performance. This study developed an original Trauma Representation Framework for Post-Conflict Nigerian Theatre, drawing on trauma theory, performance studies, and empirical research with Nigerian theatre practitioners and audiences. A constructive theoretical methodology was employed, combining systematic review of trauma and performance theory literature (78 publications from 2018 to 2024), critical analysis of 25 Nigerian plays and productions addressing post-conflict experiences, and structured interviews with 35 playwrights, directors, and audience researchers. Systematic review confirmed that existing trauma theatre frameworks, developed primarily in Holocaust and post-apartheid contexts, inadequately accounted for the cyclical and multi-layered nature of Nigerian conflict experience, the communal rather than individual nature of traumatic memory in many Nigerian communities, and the ritual performance traditions available as structural resources for trauma processing in Nigerian contexts. The original framework proposes five representational strategies observed in post-conflict Nigerian theatre: testimonial reconstruction, allegorical displacement, ritual healing integration, perpetrator perspective inclusion, and collective mourning performance. Each strategy is theorised with specific Nigerian production examples. Expert review confirmed the framework's original theoretical contribution. Recommendations include curriculum integration, practitioner workshops, and international publication.

Keywords: trauma representation, post-conflict theatre, Nigerian theatre, theoretical framework, performance and memory