The African Theatre and Their Identity - Research Paper Example

The African Theatre and their identity Though there is cohesion between people from different backgrounds, each has a unique culture, which sets them apart. There are practices that reveal one to be an African, Latino, Asian or any other culture since these practices are hardly identical. Often, cultures are compromised especially when there is a mingling of people from one culture with others. It is common to find a particular group relaxing their cultural practices or forsaking them altogether. The African culture, like others, has undergone a series of evolution in different parts of the world. In some societies, the African culture has been compromised completely while in others, it is just a little influence. On the other hand, there are African poets, educationists and theorists who have shown tremendous commitment to ensuring the culture remains standing despite the influence. Literature work by a number of authors has aimed at preserving the culture in a world where the effects of globalization are not limited to commerce. The interaction of people from various cultures has made it almost impossible for any culture to remain intact, African included. Literary work such as The Dilemma of a ghost by Ama Ata Aidoo, My Children! My Africa! by Athol Fugard and Decolonizing the mind by Ngugi wa Thiongo are some of the platforms the authors sought to use in preserving the African culture. Clearly, it seems the African culture imminently faces the reality of extinction on one side especially when Africans merge with other societies. On the other hand, a handful of literature writers are using every method available to preserve it. For that reason, this paper will focus on comparing the African theatre with US. It will further dig out whether it loses its heritage or continues to maintain it. A historic analysis will be conducted on how the Africans embraced the American culture and even became to be known as African-American. Further, a cultural context of the traditional performances by Africans will be addressed. In order to bring out the process of the African cultural change and compromise, this paper will focus on the African theatre, and its influence on the preservation of the African culture. In the My Children! My Africa the author demonstrates how Africans tend to cause own destruction by resorting to violence as means for liberation. In this play by Fugard, a teacher, Mr. M notices that two students, Thami, a black student and Isabelle, a white, are gifted and seeks to have them debate further on a topic touching on women’s education. Unfortunately, Thami quits school and joins the group demanding equality in the education sector. Grieved by the decision, Mr. M cooperates with the authorities by naming the boycotting students. Consequently, the black students’ movement despite pleas from Thami kills the teacher. Meanwhile, Isabelle wonders how the African culture would find pleasure in destroying itself as opposed to remaining united in defending that, which is right in nonviolent methods (Sterling p.55). Similarly, in the literature work by a Kenyan, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, the author notices that the African culture is often interpreted as one that turns against each other. In their own backyard, the Africans are often portrayed as violent mainly because of their choices of resolving conflicts. While no culture has truly been free from violence in every area, it is historically viewed that Africans are excessive (Crowley p.13). While Ngugi Wa Thiongo tries to paint, a different picture that the conflicts that tend to face the Africans are similar to others and that there is exaggeration in the reporting of these cases, it achieves little in this agenda. Many of these literary works are meant to persuade Africans to remain peaceful and maintain their cultures no matter the amount of pressure from other cultures. However, as the rest of the section will prove, this goal has not been achieved in its entirety. While it is factual to state that a section of Africans still practice their cultures abroad, it is also true that some have since been overshadowed by others. Prior to the spreading of the Christianity in African, many people were united in holding and practicing their beliefs. However, Njoh (p.25) reported that Christianity greatly influenced a number of Africans who forsook their traditions. Conversion to Christianity came at an expense of shunning some traditions for instance, polygamy. Even though the practice did not end immediately, the converts started viewing the tradition as oppressive as taught by the missionaries. It is the nature of humankind to seek liberation whenever oppression becomes a trend, and Africans are not exceptional. During the time of slavery, the Christian missionaries preached against this vice, and consequently, many Africans, majority of whom were enslaved then, embraced it (Henciles p.93; Lumumba-Kasongo p.1). As a result, the Africans too had to forsake some of the practices and traditions they had held on to for so long. Today, however, the situation has changed whereby Africans have realized some traditions are still necessary irrespective of the religious affiliations. For instance, pay the bride price during marriages was initially thought to be an African tradition, but even after converting to Christianity, the practice still goes. The above retention of traditions could be attributed greatly to the African theaters that have a tendency of presenting plays that challenge fellow Africans against shunning their traditions (Lumumba-Kasongo p.2). Plays by authors like Ngugi Wa Thiongo and others tend to remind Africans on the need to remain observant of the traditions which are not inhumane. Often, when there is a transition of events like the cultural beliefs, there is a likelihood of people forsaking the previous beliefs some of which are harmless. The African theater has indeed played the role cultural ‘policeman’ to ensure that the traditions remain. Whenever one embraces a different culture, assimilation is almost unavoidable, and this is the route the African Americans followed. While the Africans had some practices that caused them to differ from the whites, there were many similarities to an extent that some practices such as female circumcision ceased (Amin n.p.; Lumumba-Kasongo p.2). How often the theater is utilized determines how much people, in this case Africans, cling to their culture or disconnect from it. Many Africans in the US have since forsaken some of the traditions they once adored, and this could be attributed to lack of enough pressure from the theaters (Amin n.p.). As noted, the theater is critical in the role of cultural identity. Using hilarious plays and literary work, the theater can transform the entire culture. After the abolishment of slavery, the Africa culture has undergone a change in many parts of the world. In the US, a number of Africans still celebrate some of their traditions. Even though the traditions are not precisely, as they used to be, there is still a sense of being African in a foreign land. For instance, there is a tendency by a number of African groups to celebrate their culture including beauty, food and language mainly at the end of each year (Taylor p.5). While one could argue the levels of cultural observation in the modern day are too low, it is worth noting that some traditions would not fit the current generation and in some societies. For instance, it was reported that the Africans in the past-allowed female circumcision yet this practice would never be legally allowed in the US and other western nations. Similarly, restricting women to engaging in household chores is not tenable in the modern society mainly because of the every-changing dynamics of life. Judging from the history, one could conclude that other cultures despite the seemingly spirited efforts to stop this trend keep absorbing African culture. Earlier, it was noted that there are still some Africans working or permanently residing in the US who celebrate their cultures annually. While this seems like an effort to preserve their traditions, the history facts show that the tenacity has dwindled (Taylor p.7). In the 20s, a movement known as Harlem Renaissance, which then was known as the ‘negro Movement’, greatly influenced and popularized the African culture. Despite being situated around the Manhattan region in New York City, the movement’s activities influenced other black people residing elsewhere including in France (Buss p.310). Hordes of black writers were involved in a ceremony that took place in 1924 and, surprisingly, the whites were invited as well. Even though the many black people had suffered insurmountable loss during the civil war, this movement sought to have a place in the society in deciding economic and political matters. While the group freely interacted with other cultures, including the same whites who had participated in the many years of slavery, the group was very committed to observing its traditions. The group’s popularity became irresistible with the launch of a play, three plays for a Negros theatre, which ironically were written by a white poet, Ridgely Torrence. The play was popular since the African actors exhibited great talent in conveying the human yearnings and emotions. In this and other plays that the group engaged in, the message that was conveyed was that stereotyping ought not to be encouraged in the society (Buss p.310). This group of Africans helped in the shaping of the American societies especially in the matters related to the slavery. Because these people had come from this vice, many sought to engage their white counterparts using plays as opposed to political competition or violent means. As a result, this could be said to have cause a compromise on the African culture because the sharing of political and economic views was unavoidable. In the end, the African society failed to forsake its traditions. It was greatly influenced into mixing it with the whites’ (Ayeleru p.165). In today’s theaters, young people have since taken over the acting, and even though the work might vary from the pasts, the African theaters do not seem to varnish any time soon. A perfect example entails the production of Nigerian movies whereby (Geiger p.58) noted that many of them pass through theaters first. This situation is replicated in the parts of the Southern and eastern Africa with South Africa and Kenya being in the forefront. Even though the Kenyan movie industry trails Nigeria’s and South Africa’s Marks (p.643) reported that the theater in the country is active. In fact, many of the actors in other films have passed through the theaters meaning African theater will keep thriving. Also worth noting is that many of the plays coming from the theaters have to do more with the culture than an imitation of the Western movies. A case in point involves the Nigerian movies where witchcraft, polygamy, the role of elders among other issues are present. Even though there is no sign of people from various African countries to work together in theaters, it is clear that they are committed in their respective countries. However, recently, there have been signs of more African countries working together in the production of various plays as evidenced by the involvement of a Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke, in a Kenyan movie My life in Crime (Anderson p.72). Even though it was later reported that the actor had been dropped from the role, it is clear that the African theater will thrive. It is imperative, though, for the Africans to find a way of working together in their productions be it in the theaters or production of movies. Ghgh attributed this lack of cooperation to the variance of traditions and culture. While the world tends to classify Africans as one, it is one continent with a host of cultures. Often, these diversities act as a hurdle to working together for the theater players. In comparison to the modern society, first, one can realize the past groups would have the audacity to confront the vices in the society through the usage of literary work. Secondly, the fight was solely aimed at changing the vices, not attacking fellow humans, as is often the case with a section of black people in the US. Also, tradition does not imply overlooking interaction with other culture; it simply means that one is committed to their culture whilst maintaining cohesion. It was noted that the Negros movement would freely interact with the whites without feeling the need to be separatists. In fact, their white counterparts (Buss p.311) wrote some of the plays the Africans played. It is therefore, appropriate to conclude that the contemporary African theaters might be lacking in regard to having a direct influence in the economic and political arena. Nonetheless, the African culture has not necessarily been absorbed by the American one; its identity is elsewhere. According to Ayeleru (p.168) African identity as evidenced by the historic trends, lies more in the theaters than in the real-life. That is to say, the culture is still active, though not as aggressively in the political arena, as was the case in the past. Understandably, the past groups such as the Harlem Renaissance were formed mainly to find a footing in the society. Conversely, the contemporary African groups are focused on maintaining their culture. Perhaps this explains the reason the traditional groups, as the one mentioned above no longer exist especially their political ideologies. The Harlem Renaissance is remembered mainly because of its formation and popularizing of the African traditions through poetry more than its role in the shaping of the politics (Buss p.311). Today, the Africans might not necessarily be seen to have political stand as a community, but Linden (p.167) argued that this does not equate to a shunning of traditions. Whereas one could rightly argue the past African groups were more tenacious in their quest for maintaining their traditions, they were compromised along the way for lacking a central drive. In other words, a majority of them used their cultures as means to secure political achievements, and quickly forgot about the primary objectives of their movements. As a result, the groups became extinct despite being seemingly committed, and this left the African culture compromised. Therefore, it could be said that the trends set by the African culture had a lot to do with the happenings at the theater. First, when the Harlem Renaissance group focused on the political ambitions, the theater lost the much-needed ground to popularize the African culture. This occurred because the people started to mingle with other cultures and in the process surrendered a significant portion of their traditions (MBaye et al p.807). Secondly, the tendency by some Africans to forsake even the harmless traditions upon conversion to Christianity affected the culture. Some of the people converting to this religion forsook the theater altogether, and this adversely affected the culture. Nonetheless, the role played by the African theaters in the recent times to ensure the culture remains intact cannot be overlooked. While there tends to be misconception that a majority of the African authors advocate for a complete shunning of other cultures including languages like the English language, this is not always factual. Authors like Ngugi Wa Thiongo encourage the Africans to avoid total assimilation of the western culture, as is often the case whenever Africans migrate to the US (Crowley p.15). As indicated earlier, the theaters are pivotal in the preservation or erosion of any culture and by encouraging people to engage in traditional plays, dances and languages such authors are not misleading. Earlier, it was asserted that some African-Americans have since been absorbed by the various cultures mainly because of failing to draw the line. Thus, the African theaters have been involved in trying to ensure the situation is rectified and that the African culture continues. Therefore, one can see the role the African theaters have played in keeping their culture intact despite ever rapidly changing culture and generational trends. Much of the works by these authors and others like the Nigerian Ola Rotimi have had tremendous influence on the maintenance of the African culture. For instance, Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again was a play that seemed to replicate the real-life African culture. In the play, Lejoka Brown is a businessperson who pursues political ambitions not to lead, but out of vanity. Once in the political ambitions, Lejoka marries, “Mama Rashida and Sikira, both of whom are in the mold of market women” (Addei and Elisabeth p.539). However, this happened without prior knowledge of the highly educated American wife, Lisa. When Lisa came to the city, it was a shock to find the others but the three women lived in harmony. Sadly, Lisa and mama Rashida went on to support Sikira’s candidature subsequently overthrowing Lejoka. In the end, Lejoka regrets the decision to marry many wives. While the story above seems to show the negative side of the African tradition of polygamy, it also intends to show how leadership in the continent is often motivated by vanity. Some leaders in the continent are hardly concerned about the affairs of the Africans; they are power-hungry and will not relent until they have achieved the goal at whatever cost. Other plays by Rotimi include Stir the God of Iron and The Gods Are Not to Blame among others (Addei and Elisabeth p.544). In conclusion, the African theater could be said to have influenced the African culture sometimes in a negative way and others positively. When the theaters failed to be actively producing African-oriented content, the culture suffered adversely as explained in the paper. Conversely, when a flurry of activities was witnessed, the Africans seemed to cling to their traditions. Sometimes, the theater was affected by external factors such as the introduction of Christianity. A section of people shunned some traditions thus rendering some theater activities less effective. Nonetheless, the contemporary authors like the ones mentioned here have challenged the changes occurring in life, and truly, theirs is a tremendous job that continues to keep African traditions intact despite inevitable mingling of people from various cultures. Annotated bibliography Addei, Cecilia, and Cynthia Elisabeth. The Position of Women in Greek and African Culture: A Study Of Aristophanes Lysistrata And Rotimis Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. The Social Sciences 7.4 (2012): 539 and 544. The authors present not just the plays in the Greek and African societies; they tackle how some traditions affected women. By doing so, the source offers rich information on the historical traditions in African not easily found. Anderson, David M. Mau Mau At The Movies: Contemporary Representations Of An Anti- Colonial War. South African Historical Journal 48.1 (2014): 71-72 Approaching the topic with a precision, the author’s work is imperative to this research. Marks, Monique. Looking Different, Acting Different: Struggles for Equality Within The South African Police Service. Public Administration 86.3 (2008): 643-644 With critical analysis of the movies industry and the theaters, the author’s approach is simply tremendous, thus the need to adopt the material. Amin, Julius. Africans and African-Americans: An Enduring Relationship. Africa Insight 35.1 (2005): n. pag. The author argues that because of forsaking some of their traditions, the Africans often collide with their American counterparts. Cultural fusion between these two is often characterized by misunderstandings. Due to the clarity evident in this material, it is wise to use it in this paper. Ayeleru, Babatunde. African Cultural Rebirth: A Literary Approach. Journal of African Cultural Studies 23.2 (2011): 165-167. Ayeleru approaches the literary work from a perspective of a renewed generation. The information contained herein was deemed relevant since it answers many questions about the contemporary African culture. Buss, Carla Wilson. Sources: The Harlem Renaissance. Reference & User Services Quarterly 48.3 (2009): 310-311. This author lucidly explains the information on the ‘Negro movement’, and the source offers the much-needed information on the events unfolded. Crowley, Dustin. “A Universal Garden of Many-Coloured Flowers”: Place and Scale In The Works Of Ngũgĩ Wa Thiongo. Research in African Literatures 44.3 (2013): 13-15 The selection of this material in this research was catalyzed by the accuracy of the information presented by the author. Unlike other writers, Crowley delves into understanding the real motivation of the African authors, in this case, Ngugi Wa Thiongo. Geiger, Jeffrey. Nollywood Style: Nigerian Movies And ‘Shifting Perceptions Of Worth’. Film International 10.6 (2012): 58-72. This is a good source as it helps in offering the information on the trends in the Nigerian theater and movie industries. Hanciles, Jehu J. Beyond Christendom: African Migration and Transformations in Global Christianity. Studies in World Christianity 10.1 (2004): 93-95 This is a systematic guide on how the Africans were influenced by Christian missionaries into forsaking some of their beliefs. As such, it offers some reliable information on this process hence relevant to the research. Linden, Ian. The Religious Traditions of Africa: A History (Review). African Studies Review 49.3 (2006): 167-168. Not only does the author precisely elaborate in the exact traditions the Africans engaged in, Linden hardly makes a conclusion without reliance of other sources. Consequently, it is considered that the source is indeed credible and relevant to this study. Lumumba-Kasongo, Tukumbi. Foreword On “African Migration: Understanding Trends and Traditions”. African and Asian Studies 10.1 (2011): 1-3 The trends the Africans set in their migration have been explained in a lucid way in this source. Without bias, the author handles the topic with amazing precision; its information is vital to this paper. MBaye, Babacar, and Polycarp Ikuenobe. Philosophical Perspectives on Communalism And Morality in African Traditions. African American Review 41.4 (2007): 807. The two authors courageously face the traditions, which evoked the morality thoughts in the African culture. Further, the two handle the reasons the Christianity penetrated the African culture with some ease. Njoh, Ambe J. Tradition, Culture and Development in Africa: Historical Lessons for Modern Development Planning. Aldershot [u.a.: Ashgate, 2006. Print. This is a good source in this research as it concisely details the happenings of the African culture from the pas to the current state. How Christianity influenced African traditions is well explained. Sterling, Eric. Opposing Methods of Attaining Freedom: The Teacher-Student Clash in Fugards My Children! My Africa!. English Studies in Africa 54.2 (2011): 55-57. Besides being a credible source, this material goes deeper into highlighting how African authors have sought to change the negative traditions and beliefs. Taylor, S. the Political Influence of African American Ministers: A Legacy of West African Culture. Journal of Black Studies 37.1 (2006): 5-9. Besides looking at the influence the Western culture has on the African, Taylor relies heavily on the history set by the Africans. Evidently, it is such information makes this paper complete. Read More