African Theatre and the West

Authors

Donald Baker, Dorest Institute of Higher Education, Weymouth, England

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, the first paragraph of the essay follows:

In what has become a standard work on the "oral literature" of Africa, Ruth Finnegan observes that the "existence and supposed nature of drama, mimetic dances, or masquerades in Africa have been taken as evidence in discussions of the origins of drama."¹ There is no doubt that tribally structured societies, especially those relatively untouched by Western culture, have increasingly attracted the interest not only of anthropologists but also theatre historians and directors alike who seem to believe that there exists in Africa an immediate, spontaneous form of theatre in close touch with both nature and the community.

Recommended Citation

Baker, Donald (1977) "African Theatre and the West," Comparative Drama: Vol. 11: Iss. 3, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol11/iss3/3