Contemporary African drama: the intercultural trend in South Africa

Abstract

This essay is concerned with the continuity between pre-colonial theatre and contemporary African drama and with the impact of European drama traditions on contemporary African drama. The argument for continuity between pre-colonial theatre and contemporary African drama is presented in order to dispute the view that pre-colonial theatre did not exist in pre- colonial South Africa, a view that may be described as Eurocentric or colonialist. It examines some contemporary African drama texts as an attempt to challenge and dispel Eurocentric hypotheses that contemporary African drama is unconnected with pre-colonial African theatre. The demonstration of an unbroken continuity between pre-colonial African theatre and contemporary African drama will be discussed as in the modern context the playwright employs some pre-colonial theatre traditions as means of communicating with the audience. These traditions have been inherited from pre-colonial theatre forms known by both the playwright and the audience. Such a presence of oral forms in written text is evidence of what will be termed intertexuality and the cultural-web in this discussion.