From trauma to performance: An autoethnographic study of play in post-genocide Rwanda

This autoethnographic study explored the emergence of play in post-genocide Rwanda through a drama therapist’s mission to work with street children. Despite extreme poverty and adversity, children demonstrated a remarkable capacity for creative expression, transforming found objects into play materials and creating safe spaces through performance. Four themes emerged: (1) Play in times of adversity; (2) Beyond words: the shared grammar of play; (3) The function of creative expression in extreme circumstances and (4) Power dynamics and playfulness. Findings illuminate play’s fundamental role in human resilience and meaning-making across cultures.