Mzo Sirayi has embarked on a highly impressive and daring enterprise with the unfl inching boldness of a scholar who is driven by a passionate pursuit to set the record straight. He manages to pull no punches and make no apologies by being true to his convictions, especially within the context of a new South Africa. The book adopts a largely historicized, critical and analytical perspective, which strikingly approximates that of postcolonial theory. — Owen Seda This new and authoritative book is an excellent addition to the few existing books on black South African drama and theatre. South African Drama and Th eatre from Pre-colonial Times to 1990s: An Alternative Reading takes the reader on a tour of the indigenous as well as the modern South African theatre zones. The chapters reverberate with echoes of Africanisation and rock on renaissance waves. This exciting and stimulating book is transparently readable, accessible and is of inestimable value to academics and general readers. — Patrick Ebewo

In spite of the rich repertoire of artistic traditions in Southern Africa, particularly in the areas of drama, theatre and performance, there seems to be a lack of a corresponding robust academic engagement with these subjects. While it can be said that some of the racial groups in the region have received substantial attention in terms of scholarly discussions of their drama and theatre performances, the same cannot be said of the black African racial group. As such, this collection of thirteen chapters represents a compendium of critical and intellectual discourses on black African drama, theatre and performance in Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland. The topics covered in the book include, amongst others, ritual practices, interventionist approaches to drama, textual analyses, and the funeral rites (viewed as performance) of the South African liberation icon Nelson Mandela. The discussions are rooted mainly using African paradigms that are relevant to the context of African cultural production. The contributions here add to the aggregate knowledge economy of Southern Africa, promote research and publication, and provide reading materials for university students specialising in the performing arts. As such, the book will appeal to academics, theatre scholars, cultural workers and arts administrators, arts practitioners and entrepreneurs, the tourism industry, arts educators, and development communication experts.

The Routledge Handbook of African Theatre and Performance brings together the very latest international research on the performing arts across the continent and the diaspora into one expansive and wide-ranging collection. The book offers readers a compelling journey through the different ideas, people and practices that have shaped African theatre and performance, from pre-colonial and colonial times, right through to the 20th and early 21st centuries. Resolutely Pan-African and inter- national in its coverage, the book draws on the expertise of a wide range of Africanist scholars, and also showcases the voices of performers and theatre practitioners working on the cutting-edge of African theatre and performance practice. Contributors aim to answer some of the big questions about the content (nature, form) and context (processes, practice) of theatre, whilst also painting a pluralistic and complex picture of the diversity of cultural, political and artistic exigencies across the continent. Covering a broad range of themes including postcolonialism, transnationalism, interculturalism, Afropolitanism, development and the diaspora, the handbook concludes by projecting possible future directions for African theatre and performance as we continue to advance into the 21st century and beyond. This ground-breaking new handbook will be essential reading for students and researchers studying theatre and performance practices across Africa and the diaspora. Kene Igweonu is Professor of Creative Education at University of the Arts London, where he is also Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of London College of Communication. An interdisciplinary researcher, Professor Igweonu has extensive experience of senior academic leadership in immersive and interactive practices and performance practice. His practice research and publication interests are in storytelling, theatre, and performance in Africa and its Diaspora, as well as the Feldenkrais Method in health, wellbeing, and performance training. A champion for arts and creative industries, Professor Igweonu is Chair of DramaHE, Council Member for Creative UK, and until August 2023, President of the African Theatre Association.

In this collection of essays written from different critical perspectives, African playwrights demonstrate through their art that they are not only witnesses, but also consciences, of their societies.

"The contributors to this text investigate the developments of African drama and theatre from the pre-colonial period to the present ... [in] a rich collection of essays that cover a wide range of topics such as the concept and nature of traditional African drama and theatre, African aesthetics in traditional African drama and theatre, re-appropriation of the African aesthetic in modern African drama, the growth and development of Kenyan drama and theatre, theatre for development in East Africa, and minimalism as a theatrical strategy in Athol Fugard's plays."--Back cover.

African Drama and Theatre: A Criticism, explores critical questions that scholars of African drama and theatre continue to grapple with. The contributors to this text investigate the developments of African drama and theatre from the Pre-colonial period to the Present. While paying attention to issues that characterize the practice of African drama and theatre in each historical period and with illustrations drawn from various parts of Africa, the contributors engage particular perspectives, theoretical and/or conceptual frameworks in their analyses. The result is a rich collection of essays that cover a wide range of topics such as the Concept and Nature of Traditional African drama and theatre, African Aesthetics in Traditional African drama and theatre, Re-appropriation of the African Aesthetic in Modern African drama, the Growth and Development of Kenyan drama and theatre, Theatre for Development in East Africa, and Minimalism as a theatrical strategy in Athol Fugard's plays. The essays herein reflect a well researched representation of what has and is taking place in drama and theatrical scenes in the African continent. It is a book whose insights can be brought to bear upon contemporary discourses on African drama and theatre beyond the confined boundaries of this text. About the Editors John Mugubi., PhD. is a seasoned scholar of Literature, Theatre Arts and Film at Kenyatta University. He holds a B.A. and M. A. from the University of Nairobi and a PhD from Kenyatta University. He has widely published in Literature, Theatre and Film. Charles Kebaya, M.A, holds a Master of Arts degree in Literature with a bias in Drama and Theatre Criticism and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Literature from Kenyatta University. Currently, Kebaya is working on his PhD Dissertation on drama and theatre. His research interests are in Postcoloniality in Literature, Drama and Theatre.