Azege JamesDenen
Department of Theatre Arts,
College of Education Katsina-Ala, Benue State, Nigeria.
Email: azegedenen@gmail.com
GSM: +234 8034040999
Abstract
Attempts have been made by African dramatists to recreate the African folk-tradition in modern drama beginning from the masters of drama such as; Ola Rotimi, Wole Soyinka, J.P Cark, among others due to the search for authentic African Drama. Using a qualitative approach, the paper dwells on the content analysis of the following plays; The Marriage of Anansewaby Efua Theodora Sutherland and Ozidiby J.P Clarkx-raying; betrayal, revenge, mystical order, spirituality, scheming, poverty and materialism as issues that contend with the African on a daily basis. These plays are analyzed based on the theoretical schema typical of African oral performance known as ‘Folkism’, projected by Sam Ukala as pioneer creative works re-enacting the experience of African oral performance in modern dramaturgy as they conform to the tradition of African orality which is the bedrock of Ukala’s folkism. Thus, the paper finds out that the playwrights effectively utilized the communal channel of communication in the form of folktale, adapted into textual drama, captured in the reenactments of the story telling traditions of the Akanpeople of Ghana known as the Anansesemor Anansegoroand the OzidiSagaof the Ijaw people of the Niger-Delta of Nigeria. The paper therefore concludes that, the plays; TheMarriage of Anansewa and Ozidiare works which pioneered Sam Ukala’s theory of folkism, bearing all the elements and laws expunged in folkism. This is because, modern African drama is in a continuous search for an exclusive folk content.
