African drama and the construction of an indigenous cultural identity: an examination of four major Nigerian plays

Book chapter


Igweonu, K. 2014. African drama and the construction of an indigenous cultural identity: an examination of four major Nigerian plays. in: Diala, I. (ed.) Syncretic Arenas: Essays on Postcolonial African Drama and Theatre for Esiaba Irobi Amsterdam and New York Rodopi.
AuthorsIgweonu, K.
EditorsDiala, I.
Abstract

This article considers four canonical Nigerian plays to explore their potential for constructing an identity that is essentially African through their use of indigenous oral materials and dance. In it, I contend that the four canonical plays, Wole Soyinka’s 'The Lion and the Jewel', Femi Osofisan’s 'Once Upon Four Robbers', Ola Rotimi’s 'The Gods Are Not to Blame', and Duro Ladipo’s 'Moremi', offer ample representations of contemporary African—in this case Nigerian—drama. The article also explores my interest in recent London performances of The Gods Are Not to Blame and The Lion and the Jewel, particularly how issues of identity are addressed in these diaspora productions of African plays. The article argues that the plays’ mode of interaction with language, idiomatic expressions, and dance is indicative of the expectation of a drama that can be as socially functional as the indigenous African model while retaining relevance in a Westernised world. Consequently, the article concludes that the four plays offer a vision of African drama that not only derive from Europe and its imperial agenda of civilisation, but one that relies heavily on indigenous African dance, rhetorical structures, and other aesthetic devices to convey performances that are both accessible and acceptable to the indigenous African mind.

Year2014
Book titleSyncretic Arenas: Essays on Postcolonial African Drama and Theatre for Esiaba Irobi
PublisherRodopi
Output statusPublished
Place of publicationAmsterdam and New York
SeriesCross/Cultures - Readings in the Post/Colonial Literatures in English
ISBN9789042038981
Publication dates
Print15 Oct 2014
Publication process dates
Deposited03 Mar 2014
Permalink -

https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/87129/african-drama-and-the-construction-of-an-indigenous-cultural-identity-an-examination-of-four-major-nigerian-plays

  • 158
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 10
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Stanislavsky in Nigeria: convergences and counterpoints in actor training and practice
Igweonu, K. 2017. Stanislavsky in Nigeria: convergences and counterpoints in actor training and practice. in: Pitches, J. and Aquilina, S. (ed.) Stanislavsky in the World: The System and its Transformations Across Continents London Bloomsbury Methuen. pp. 277-289
A ritual for survival: questions of identity and politics in one hundred year of Nigerian dance
Igweonu, K. 2015. A ritual for survival: questions of identity and politics in one hundred year of Nigerian dance. Dance Journal of Nigeria. 2 (1).
‘The tree has four or five leaves’: Talawa, Britishness and the first all-Black production of Waiting for Godot in Britain
Igweonu, K. 2016. ‘The tree has four or five leaves’: Talawa, Britishness and the first all-Black production of Waiting for Godot in Britain. in: Tucker, D. and McTighe, T. (ed.) Staging Beckett in Great Britain London Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. pp. 141-151
Plays one
Igweonu, K. 2016. Plays one. Ibadan Kraft Books.
Zakes Mda
Igweonu, K. 2015. Zakes Mda. in: Middeke, M., Homman, G. and Schnierer, P. (ed.) The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary South African Theatre London Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. pp. 177-193
From page to the stage: a choreographic analysis of Felix Akinsipe’s Struggling to Die
Igweonu, K. 2015. From page to the stage: a choreographic analysis of Felix Akinsipe’s Struggling to Die. in: Akinsipe, F. (ed.) Dance Scripts for the Stage University of Ilorin.
Beyond the bid process: reflections on the ‘Feldenkrais Method in Performer Training’ project and its impact on departmental research, learning and teaching
Igweonu, K. 2012. Beyond the bid process: reflections on the ‘Feldenkrais Method in Performer Training’ project and its impact on departmental research, learning and teaching. in: Pearson, D. (ed.) A Celebration of Dance, Drama and Music in UK Higher Education: PALATINE Development Awards, 2001 – 2011 York Higher Education Academy. pp. 27-29
Training and... body parts
Woods, N., Binyon, C., Turner, J., Igweonu, K., Woodall, E., Walton, R. and Brayshaw, T. 2013. Training and... body parts. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training. 4 (1), pp. 124-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2013.774815
Striding out: trends in twenty-first century African theatre and performance
Igweonu, K. 2011. Striding out: trends in twenty-first century African theatre and performance. in: Igweonu, K. (ed.) Trends in Twenty-first Century African Theatre and Performance Amsterdam & New York Rodopi.
Talawa theatre: a boundless leap into mainstream British theatre 1985-1994
Igweonu, K. 2014. Talawa theatre: a boundless leap into mainstream British theatre 1985-1994. in: Saunders, G. (ed.) British Theatre Companies 1980-1994 York Methuen Drama.
Two plays: Ofotiriofo and The Siren
Igweonu, K. 2001. Two plays: Ofotiriofo and The Siren. Ilorin, Nigeria University of Ilorin.
Keeping it together: Talawa Theatre Company, Britishness, aesthetics of scale and mainstreaming the black-British experience
Igweonu, K. 2013. Keeping it together: Talawa Theatre Company, Britishness, aesthetics of scale and mainstreaming the black-British experience. in: Duggan, P. and Ukaegbu, V. (ed.) Reverberations: Britishness, Aesthetics and Small-Scale Theatres Bristol Intellect.
Practice, theory and reflection: an examination of writing in performance training and research
Igweonu, K. 2011. Practice, theory and reflection: an examination of writing in performance training and research. Journal of Writing in Creative Practice. 4 (2), pp. 141-151. https://doi.org/10.1386/jwcp.4.2.141_1
Interculturalism revisited: identity construction in African and African-Caribbean performance
Igweonu, K. 2011. Interculturalism revisited: identity construction in African and African-Caribbean performance. in: Igweonu, K. (ed.) Trends in Twenty-first Century African Theatre and Performance Amsterdam and New York Rodopi.
Feldenkrais Method in performer training: encouraging curiosity and experimentation
Igweonu, K. 2010. Feldenkrais Method in performer training: encouraging curiosity and experimentation. Swansea Centre for Innovative Performance Practice and Research. https://doi.org/9780956618504
Revealing the elusive obvious: making sense of creative practice through reflection and writing out
Igweonu, K., Fagence, B., Petch, M. and Davies, G. 2011. Revealing the elusive obvious: making sense of creative practice through reflection and writing out. Journal of Writing in Creative Practice. 4 (2), pp. 225-238. https://doi.org/10.1386/jwcp.4.2.225_1