selected black african dramatists south of the zambezi

244 Pages·2011·10.97 MB·English

SELECTED BLACK AFRICAN
DRAMATISTS SOUTH OF THE ZAMBEZI
Celeste Avril Litkie
Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of
Stellenbosch
Promoter: Prof. Temple Hauptflelsch
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dennis Schauffer
April 2003
DECLARATION
I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this dissertation is my own
original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any
university for a degree.
Signature:
Date: .).0 - Of - .;200.3
I
L
Abstract
Late twentieth century theatre studies has been characterised by an expansion of the
notion of theatre to encompass an enormous variety of performance-based activities.
A range of pioneering academics and practitioners have moved beyond the old
European-American paradigm of the literary theatre, to recognize the unique qualities
of the performance as a theatrical artefact in its own right. One of the by-products of
this paradigm shift has been what some would term the death - or at least diminution
- of the dramatist or playwright.
Another has been the (re-)discovery of what is vaguely referred to as "African
theatre". This study had no intention of taking up the argument about the precise
forms and processes that belong under that rubric, nor the many problems associated
with such categorizing. It has a much more mundane aim, namely to look at one form
of play creation - formal playwriting - in a specified region of the vast African
continent, south of the Zambezi. The focus is very specifically onpublished or
written texts, created and produced in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe,
Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique. For a variety of reasons not all these countries
could be studied, but enough material was found to arrive at some initial conclusions.
In this respect, this is a pioneering study, since no such comparative survey has yet
been done.
Based on a previous pilot study by Dennis Schauffer at the University of Durban-
Westville, the study utilises a process model of the theatrical system proposed by
Temple Hauptfleisch (1997) as a frame of reference and a range of four basic kinds of
data to answer a number of questions to study the writers and their works. The
materials utilized are:
1. Play scripts
2. Biographical data, press cuttings, video recordings, articles.
3. Interviews and interviewer's journal entries.
4. Studies of the socio-political milieu
Data was gathered on 12writers and their works, as well as some substantial
information on community theatre and related forms inthe region. The primary
authors discussed in some detail are Gibson Kente, Zakes Mda, Gcina Mhlope,
Matsemela Manaka, Fani-Kayode Osazuwa Omoregie, Freddy Philander, Vickson
Tablah Hangula, Tsokolo Muso (Tjotela mor'a Moshpela), Sonny Sampson-akpan,
Andreas Mavuso, and Sipho Mtetwa.
With this data the study seeks to address a number of questions concerning
playwriting in the sub-continent. These include:
1. a comparison of existing performance forms and their relationships to oral
traditions
2. the influence of socio-political contexts on the works produced
3. the relationship between plays and the other media, such as film and
television;
4. a consideration of audiences (or target audiences) and their impact on the form
and content of works,
5. the impact of the nature of, access to and availability of venues
6. the role played by funding and relationships to state institutions;
7. language choices and their impact on the arts;
8. And finally, the interesting question of cross-cultural encounters and their
influence on the forms of theatre in the region.
This set of questions provide the context for a study ofthe variety of theatrical and
performance output generated in Africa, south of the Zambezi, and to identify some
common and/or divergent cultural influences in the works of the selected black
African dramatists in the southern sub-continent of Africa. As expected, one such
common denominator was the oral tradition, the other was the colonial heritage of
western, Eurocentric theatre and literary practices. The dynamic between these
traditions proved to be a point of some interest, but also posed many methodological
problems.
Two other major factors in many of the countries have proven to be the lack ofa
strong theatrical infrastructure and divergent audience expectations, which have led to
a proliferation of non-formal and applied theatre processes (e.g. in political theatre,
popular theatre, community theatre, theatre for development, etc), which in their turn
pose their own methodological problems for researchers.
In the final analysis, given the restraints under which the candidate had to work, the
study could only look at some interesting but selected authors, who in their works
seem to illustrate some of the variety and energy of the widely dispersed region.
Hopefully in doing this it provided a few broad indications of important trends. More
importantly perhaps, the study did identify a number of areas for future research. It
would seem that, besides a tremendous need to do considerably more work on the
collection and archiving of data on theatre and performance systems, practitioners and
practice in Southern Africa, there are at least three additional areas of research that
require particular attention:
1. the development of an appropriate theatre research methodology for
application in the region
2. a study of the role played by foreign nationals
3. the setting up of a national and continent-wide database on theatre in Africa.
Opsomming
Teaternavorsing word in die laat twintigste eeu gekenmerk deur 'n uitbreiding van
die konsep teater om 'n enorme spektrum tipes aanbiedings-aktiwiteite ("performance
activities") te behels. Verskeie leidinggewende akademici en praktisyns het verby die
ou Europees-Amerikaanse paradigma van literere teater beweeg om die die unieke
kwaliteite van die aanbieding ("performance") as 'n kreatiewe artefak in eie reg. Een
van die newe-produkte van hierdie verskuiwing in paradigma is die sogenaamde
"dood" - often minste die afskaling van die rol van - die toneelskrywer of
dramaturg.
'n Ander (her)ontdekking was wat ons breedweg na verwys as Afrikateater. Die
studie beoog rue om al die ou argumente oor die presiese vorms en prosesse wat onder
daardie benaming behoort te behandel nie, of om nogeens te spekuleer oor die menige
probleme wat met sodanige kategorisering gepaard gaan nie. Die doelwit is veel
eenvoudiger: om na een vorm van teksskepping (formele toneelskryf) te kyk in 'n
gespesifiseerde streek van die Afrika-kontinent, suid van die Zambesi. Die fokus is
pertinent op gepubliseerde of geskrewe tekste, geskep en opgevoer in Suid-Afrika,
Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland en Mozambique. Om verskeie
redes is nie al die lande uiteindelik deurtastend bestudeer nie, maar genoeg materiaal
kon ingewin word om tog by 'n aantal voorlopige gevolgtrekkings uit te kom. In
hierdie opsig is die studie uniek, aangesien nog geen ander vergelykende studie van
teater in hierdie lande onderneem is nie.
Die ondersoek is gebaseer op 'n loodsprojek wat deur Dennis Schauffer by die
Universiteit van Durban-Westville onderneem is, en maak gebruik van 'n proses-
model van die teatersisteem wat deur Temple Hauptfleisch (1997) ontwikkel is om as
'n raamwerk te dien waarbinne vier stelle bronne ontleed en bespreek word. Die
tersake bronne behels:
1. Toneeltekste
2. Biografiese inligting
3. Onderhoude, pers berigte, video-opnames, artikels
4. Studies van die sosio-politieke milieu
Inligting is oor twaalf dramaturge en hulle werk ingewin, saam met substansiele
inligting oor gemeenskapsteater en aanverwante vorme. Die hoof skrywers wat in
besonderhede bespreek word is Gibson Kente, Zakes Mda, Gcina Mhlope,
Matsemela Manaka, Fani-Kayode Osazuwa Omoregie, Freddy Philander, Vickson
Tablah Hangula, Tsokolo Muso (Tjotela mar' a Moshpela), Sonny Sampson-akpan,
Andreas Mavuso, and Sipho Mtetwa.
Met hierdie data het die ondersoeker gepoog om 'n aantal vrae oor toneelskryf op die
sub-kontinent aan te spreek. Die vrae sluit in:
1. 'n vergelyking tussen bestaande aanbiedingsvorms en hulle verwantskap met
orale tradisies
2. die invloed van sosio-politke kontekste op die werke gelwer
3. die verhouding tussen toneelstukke en ander media vorme, soos film en
televisie
4. 'n kyk na gehore (ofteiken gehore) en hulle impak op die vorm en inhoud van
werke
5. die impak, aard en toeganklikheid van speelruimtes
6. die rol gespeel deur befondsing en die verhouding met staats-instellings
7. taalkeuses en hulle impak op die kunste
8. en laastens: die interressante kwessie van kruis-kulurele kontakte en hulle
invloed op die vorme van teater in die streek.
Hierdie stel vrae vorm die konteks vir 'n ondersoek na die verskeidenheid van teater-
en aanbiedingsuitsette wat suid van die Zambesi gegenereer word, en die
identifisering van sommige gemeenskaplike en uiteenlopende kulturele invloede in
die werke van swart Afrika-skrywers in die gebied. Soos verwag, was een van die
gemeenskaplikhede die orale tradisie, 'n ander die koloniale erfenis van Westerse,
Eurosentirese teater en literere gebruike. Die dinamiese interaksie tussen hierdie twee
tradities het van besondere belang geblyk te wees, maar impliseer ook an hele aantal
metodologiese probleme.
Twee ander faktore wat in baie van die bestudeerde lande sleutel rolle speel is die
tekort aan 'n sterk teaterinfrastruktuur en uiteenlopende gehoorverwagtinge. - wat lei
tot 'n proliferasie van nie-formele en toegepaste teaterprosesse (bv. In politieke teater,
popuH:;reteater, gemeenskapsteater, teater vir ontwikkeling, ens.), wat op hulle beurt
ook spesifieke metodologiese uitdagings aan die navorser stel.
Gegee die beperkinge waaronder die kandidaat moes werk, kon die studie dus slegs na
'n aantal interessante maar geselekteerde outeurs kyk, wie se werke die
verskeidenheid en energie van teater in die wydverspreide streek illustreer. Hopelik
het die studie op die wyse 'n aantal bree aanduidings kon gee van belangrike
tendense. Terselfdertyd is 'n aantal belangrike terreine vir toekomstige navorsing
gei'dentifiseer. Dit wil voorkom asof daar, benewens 'n enorme behoefte aan die
byeenbring en argivering van data oor teater sisteme, praktisyns en aanbiedings in die
streek, drie terreine is waarop dringned gewerk moet word:
1. Die ontwikkelling van 'n toepaslike teatemavorsingsmetodologie
2. 'n studie van die rol gespeel deur buitelandse praktisyns in die ontwikkelling
van inheemse vorme
3. die daarstel van 'n omvangryke nasionale en trans-kontinentale databasis oor
teater in Mrika
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Andreas Hadjidimtriades for his enormous support throughout
the research and completion of this project.
To Professor Dennis Schauffer, a special word of thanks for his original inspiration,
ongoing guidance and continued support, and for letting me have access to his
valuable resources in undertaking this study.
To the Drama Department at the University of Stellenbosch for the technical and
logistical support.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One: Introduction. Page 1-50
Chapter Two: South Africa. Page 51-99
Chapter Three: Botswana. Page 100-117
Chapter Four: Namibia Page 118-140
Chapter Five: Lesotho. Page141-154
Chapter Six: Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Page 155-170
Chapter Seven: Conclusion Page. 171-183
Bibliography Page 184-188.
Appendices. Page 189-234
Appendix 1 Black African Dramatists: An Interim Report Page 190-193
Appendix 2. Diagram of Theatre as a System of Processes. Page 194-195
Appendix 3. Interview Gina Mhlope. Page 196-205
Appendix 4. Interview with Gibson Kente. Page 206-218
Appendix 5. Interview with Matsemela Manaka. Page 219-234