This paper analyses Gaël Faye's novel, Petit Pays. The focus is on evil in the novel. The research question is how the author denounces the civil war in Rwanda. To do this, the narrative device of focalisation and Hannah Arendt's concept of the banality of evil is used.  Focalisation is the point of view adopted by the author in his narrative to avoid any confusion between the narrative mode (who sees?) and the narrative voice (who speaks?). The banality of evil is a philosophical concept of unprecedented importance because it raises the possibility of the inhuman in all of us. The novel is set against the backdrop of the civil war in Rwanda and told by the narrator, Gabriel, the protagonist a ten-year-old child. The analysis shows that the author denounces Rwanda's civil war by using the focalization, point of view, and sensibility of an innocent boy. Moreover, the concept of the banality of evil helps to understand the crimes committed during the war, that we have studied in several passages of the novel. The result points out that the author shows the atrocity of war in order to denounce it.

This dissertation examines a recent work for flute and piano, Here Everything Shines, by a living composer, Charlotte Bray, including a study, analysis and performance guide. The composition was largely inspired by the late Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora and her song Petit Pays. My research explores the influence of Évora's song on Here Everything Shines, including the melodic development, tonal center, style and freedom of her singing and the impact the song has on a performer's interpretation of Here Everything Shines. The study examines the text of the song, the emotions evoked and reflects on the compositional elements in Here Everything Shines. Originally written for flute and guitar and commissioned by Tom Kerstens for International Guitar Foundation, Here Everything Shines was published in 2015. Bray transcribed it for violin and piano at request of Darragh Morgan and Mary Dullea and subsequently for flute and piano at my request. This dissertation compares the three versions for flute and guitar, violin and piano, and flute and piano and examines the variations between flute and violin as well as guitar and piano parts. The performance guide includes the composer's input on both interpretation and implementation of her ideas throughout the work.