The Real and Reality in Milo Rau’s The Congo Tribunal

Abstract

Can a staged tribunal as a (p)re-enactment show reality? Moreover, can a staged tribunal as a (p)re-enactment uncover the Lacanian Real? These are only two of the questions that should be answered in the following article about The Congo Tribunal by the Swiss filmmaker, author, and theater director Milo Rau. The Congo Tribunal will be investigated on two levels: as a (p)reenactment and as a documentary film. This division is necessary to explore the different potential of reality, the theatre of the real, and the Lacanian Real.