A History of Theatre in Africa

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Contributors......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 15
Preface......Page 17
1 Concepts of history and theatre in Africa......Page 21
Note......Page 32
Egypt......Page 33
Pharaonic period......Page 34
Graeco-Roman period......Page 38
Christian era......Page 41
Islamic period......Page 43
Modern: from Mohamed Aly and Napoleon......Page 47
References and further reading......Page 54
The antagonist theory......Page 57
Indigenous para-dramatic performance......Page 60
Essentials of the traditional theatre form......Page 62
Cult festival as performing art......Page 68
On the footprint of the Halqa performance......Page 71
Enriching or impoverishing influences......Page 73
The basic nature of carnival......Page 76
Modern experimentation......Page 79
Post-colonial developments......Page 85
Notes......Page 89
References and further reading......Page 95
Sudan......Page 97
Sufi ceremonies......Page 98
Zar......Page 99
British and Egyptian influences......Page 100
Notes......Page 103
Francophone Africa: a contested term......Page 105
Indigenous traditions of performance: definitions and classifications......Page 108
Recreational performances: some examples......Page 110
Ceremonial performances: some examples......Page 127
Popular urban theatre......Page 129
Théâtre d’animation politique......Page 132
Community development theatre......Page 133
Expatriate theatre......Page 134
Missionary theatre......Page 135
School theatre......Page 137
Theatre of cultural centres and social clubs......Page 141
Enabling factors......Page 143
Theatre and history......Page 145
Theatre and politics......Page 146
Theatre and society......Page 147
Francophone theatre and the search for a new poetics......Page 148
African languages literary theatre......Page 149
Problems and prospects......Page 150
Notes......Page 151
References and further reading......Page 152
Nigeria......Page 158
Traditional Nigerian theatre......Page 159
The cultural nationalist phase (1860–1944)......Page 163
Modern Nigerian theatre: travelling theatre (1944 onwards)......Page 167
Modern Nigerian theatre: the literary theatre tradition (1956 onwards)......Page 170
Popular theatre, or Theatre for development......Page 174
Conclusion......Page 175
References and further reading......Page 176
Ghana......Page 179
References and further reading......Page 189
Traditional theatre......Page 191
Theatre in the colonial era......Page 195
Post-independence theatre......Page 196
Conclusion......Page 198
Notes......Page 199
References and further reading......Page 200
A note on recent Anglophone Cameroonian theatre......Page 201
Theatre for development......Page 207
Problems encountered......Page 210
Notes......Page 211
Ethiopia and Eritrea......Page 212
Ethiopia......Page 215
Eritrea......Page 222
Notes......Page 225
Indigenous traditional roots of contemporary Kenyan drama......Page 226
The social context of dominant traditional forms......Page 228
History of post-colonial Kenyan theatre......Page 237
References and further reading......Page 250
200 BC to AD 1800......Page 253
1800 to 1918......Page 255
1920 to 1960......Page 256
Theatre groups and writing for the theatre: 1961 to the end of the 1970s......Page 258
Radio theatre, 1961 to 1980......Page 261
Ngonjera......Page 262
Theatre groups and theatre writing: mid-1970s to 2000......Page 263
Theatre for development, 1979 to 2000......Page 265
References and further reading......Page 266
Uganda......Page 267
Cultural institutions......Page 268
Taking theatre to the people......Page 271
Theatre in Luganda......Page 272
Theatre in English......Page 279
Notes......Page 283
Indigenous para-dramatic performance......Page 285
The reaction of indigenous theatre forms to colonialism......Page 293
Colonial theatre......Page 297
Theatre in the post-colonial period......Page 303
Conclusion......Page 326
Notes......Page 327
7 South African theatre......Page 332
Issues related to recuperating oral performance forms......Page 333
Songs and stories of the San......Page 335
Bantu South African oral literature......Page 340
Recorded European theatre in South Africa, 1652 to 1910......Page 350
Theatre from the Dutch East India Company to Afrikaans theatre......Page 353
British theatre in South Africa......Page 356
1900 to1960......Page 362
1960 to 2002......Page 372
Notes......Page 388
References and further reading......Page 393
8 Theatre in Portuguese-speaking African countries......Page 400
Theatrical forms in the pre-colonial era......Page 401
Theatrical forms in traditional society......Page 402
Autos and the role of the Church......Page 404
Indigenous European-style theatre......Page 406
African nationalism and theatre......Page 408
Theatre in the service of the revolution......Page 411
Theatre in recent years......Page 413
The Islands (Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe)......Page 418
Romarias in honour of the saints and autos on the deeds of Charlemagne......Page 419
Morna and the theatre in twentieth-century Cape Verde......Page 420
Tchilôli......Page 421
Danço Congo......Page 422
Notes......Page 423
References and further reading......Page 424
9 Mauritius and Réunion......Page 425
Creolisation......Page 426
Contemporary sister-islands......Page 427
Breaking out of a colonial past in Réunion and Mauritius......Page 428
Recovering history: slavery, marronnage and métissage......Page 430
Language and cultural miscegenation......Page 436
Myths......Page 439
Conclusion......Page 441
Notes......Page 443
References and futher reading......Page 447
Africa and the Atlantic world......Page 450
Surviving slavery: African cultures and New World theatres and performances......Page 451
Theatre and constructions of Afro-New World identities......Page 454
Conclusion......Page 465
References and further reading......Page 466
Index......Page 468