ScholarWorks > Arts & Sciences > English > COMPDR > Vol. 47 (2013) > Iss. 3
Reimaginations of "America" and Cultural Identity in the Expatriate Drama of Koffi Kwahulé
Abstract
This essay examines the ways in which the distinguished West African francophone playwright Koffi Kwahulé uses the trope of “America” in two of his plays, That Old Black Magic and We Need America!, to create a dramaturgical vision of what Edouard Glissant has theorized as a creolized global future of “world-totality.” Informed by theories of drama concerned with francophone theatrical representations that work against cultural fundamentalism (Chalaye, Miller), this essay shows how, through very distinct metatheatrical styles, Kwahulé’s plays use an idealized image of “America” to dismantle black vs. white identities.
Recommended Citation
Essif, Les
(2013)
"Reimaginations of "America" and Cultural Identity in the Expatriate Drama of Koffi Kwahulé,"
Comparative Drama: Vol. 47:
Iss.
3, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol47/iss3/3