East African Culture Reflects on Their Drama Using...

EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY ADO - EKITI FACULTY OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES AN ASSIGNMENT ON: ELS 226 (MODERN AFRICAN DRAMA) SUBMITTED BY : GROUP 4 QUESTION: THE CULTURE OF THE PEOPLE DETERMINES ITS DRAMA. DISCUSS THE EAST AFRICAN EXPERIENCE AS EXEMPLIFY IN FRANCES LIMBULGA’S AMMATA, NGUGI WA THIONGO’ S I WILL MARRY WHEN I WANT AND JOHN RUGANDA’S ECHOES OF SILENCE. LECTURER-IN-CHARGE: DR OLANIYAN MRS LIST OF GROUP MEMBERS. OGUNFEIBO AYOKUNLE O 1002630 IBITOYE EBUNOLUWA ABIGAEL 1000154 ADEBIYI ADEBIMPE MOYOYINOLUWA 1000074 ADEOYE ADEDAYO DAVID 1000084 FADARE OLUYEMI ABIOLA 1000143 TALABI GABRIEL OLUMIDE 1000212 ADEBAYO BLESSING OLUWATOSIN 1000072 SHITU RISIKAT ADESOLA†¦show more content†¦As to the origin of drama, we can only assume that it developed from religious rites, because examples of such development are found in different places of the world, in Africa and elsewhere. Dramatic ritual is functional in traditional society, because rites are efforts to change the undesirable, or to maintain the desirable. Therefore they must be performed impeccably. When something goes wrong or is omitted, the effect will be lost and it has to be done all over again. Dramatic elements cannot be ignored in magic rites, but one can only then speak of drama when a separation is effected between two groups, where movement meets countermovement ( . . . ) where the leader of the dance separates himself from the choir and places himself in front of the others (Van der Leeuw 1955: 86). Of cours e it is difficult to mark a clear limit between dramatic ritual and drama. Originally everybody plays his part in the action, although some people may participate more actively than others. Gradually, forms are developed which assign the dramatic parts to one or several actors, while the rest of the people become audience. Thus a small group represents and expresses the pre occupations and emotions of the whole community. The question whether in pre colonial Africa real drama has existed is one of those typical examples of western ethnocentric thinking. Several Europeans have