Decolonising African Theatre

Decolonisation can be pursued in different ways. After many years of developing a critical language to engage coloniality, the most urgent need in African theatre is to develop new theories and methods in our manufactories. This Element uses Afroscenology as a theory to read and comment on African theatre. The Element particularly focuses on the history of laboratories in which it was tested and emerged, the historicization of rombic theatre and the crafting of a theory of the playtext which has been named theatric theory to distinguish it from the Aristotelian dramatic theory. The second dimension of the theory is the performatic technique. This Element also explain Afrosonic mime through examples drawn from the workshops conducted in training performers.

List of contents

1. Introduction: canonising an African theory of theatre; 2. Reconfiguring African theatre episteme: formulating the theory of Afroscenology; 3. Rombic theatre: celebrating the fools of Africa and crafting a theory; 4. Afrosonic mime: a post-psychophysical perspective; 5. Conclusion; References.

Product details

• Authors: Samuel Ravengai, Samuel (University of the Witwatersrand Ravengai
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.04.2024
• EAN: 9781009271479
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0927147-9
• No. of pages: 82
• Series: Elements in Theatre, Performance and the Political
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Africa, LITERARY CRITICISM / African, Theatre Studies, Social research & statistics, Literary studies: plays & playwrights, Social research and statistics, National liberation & independence, post-colonialism, Literary studies: plays and playwrights, Decolonisation and postcolonial studies