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“The People of the Cave” Opening Play at a National Theater
“The People of the Cave” was a play written by Tawfiq al-Hakim in 1933. “This play was the opening production of the Egyptian National Theater in 1935.” (Brockett 324) The quote shows the importance of the play, because it was used to open a National Theater. His other plays addressed issues such as war, poverty, disease, search for happiness, and the position of women. He has written over eighty plays during his career as a writer and was known as one of the most important African writers. -
Hubert Ogunde Founded the First Professional Theatrical Company in Nigeria
Herbert Ogunde was born in 1916 in Nigeria. In 1945 he founded the Ogunde Concert Party. The organization was the first professional theatre company in Nigeria. His first opera was “The Garden of Eden and the Throne of God”. “Ogunde’s first folk opera was performed with success in 1944 while he was still a member of the Nigerian Police Force.” (Britannica) This quote shows that even if you have other responsibilities you can still have time and still can write and put on theatrical performances. -
King Kong Musical Makes Music Theatre Popular in South Africa
The musical hit the stage on February 2, 1959. This was the first jazz-based musical with a cast that is only African. The cast was 70 Africans. One of the first plays with a all African cast. “The production was not without its challenges, with the pass laws rife and full in force in apartheid South Africa.” (SAHO) This proves that during this time it was harder to put on a production without it being regulated by the government. -
The Chikwakwa Theatre Established
The Chikwakwa Theatre was an open air theatre located at the University of Zambia. The University of Zambia is located in Lusaka, Zambia. The theatre was built by students and lectures from the college. “This theatre, based at the University of Zambia, pioneered politically radical popular drama in the early years of independence.” (Britannica) This quote proves the importance of new theatre can help develop new ideas in a nation. This theatre played a major role in developing African theatre. -
Zulu Sofola Became the First Woman Playwright to Establish Herself in Nigeria
In the early times of theatre, the majority of play writers were men. However in 1968 that began to change after Zulu Sofola became the first women playwright to publish a play. After her play was published she remained one of the only women playwrights for around two decades. The first play she published was “The Disturbed Peace of Christmas”. After her first play, she continued to build her publishing platform. During her career as a writer, she wrote 17 plays during her lifetime. -
J.C. de Graft’s Plays Clash With Many African Cultures.
J.C. de Graft’s plays mainly focused on issues of the area and went against many cultures of the area. One example play of this is “Through a Film Darkly”. This play was his first play that went against cultures of the time and first premiered in 1970. The goal of this play was to raise awareness about many domestic issues that were happening during the time. These plays were written around the time of the African push for independence. The main goal of these plays are to raise awareness. -
Nigerian Government Builds National Theater to Promote Arts
In 1976 the Nigerian government wanted to promote culture and theatre programs. The government members came up with the idea to build a National Theater. The theater was built in Lagos Nigeria. “The National Arts Theatre is the primary center for the performing arts in Nigeria.” (Nigeria Gallery) The quote proves that the Nigerian government put in a nice facility to promote the arts. The promotion of theatre and culture is beneficial to the growth of theatre. This event changed African theatre. -
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o Arrested for his Plays
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was an African play writer who was arrested for his literary works. He was arrested in 1978 and asked by the government to come out and admit his political sins. His arrest inspired him to write more plays. Most of his plays were about culture and the resistance of Africans. He got most of his inspiration from the Transatlantic slave. If he had not been arrested and imprisoned then he never would have had the experience he had to write the first novel in the language of Gikuyu. -
Ki-Yi Mbock Theater Created to Honor Group
The Ki-Yi Mbock theater was named after the Ki-Yi group which was started as an experiment. The group brought together several types of arts together. Those groups were writers from different nationalities, different types of choreography, singers, musicians, and much more. The goal of this theater was to honor the group that brought many Africans together. Places named after a group of theater students from a university can inspire many Africans to get involved with theatre. -
Wole Soyinka Wins the Nobel Prize for Literature
Wole Soyinka was born in Nigeria in 1934. He was the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. This is an important moment in African theatre history, because it inspired others in Africa. He has written several plays, his first play was the “The Swamp Dwellers”. “The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.” (Wole Soyinka) This quote proves how he inspired a lot of people to keep going and trying even if you get criticism. He played a major impact on theatre history. -
Athol Fugard Wins Oscar on Film Based Off His Novel
Athol Fugard was born on June, 11th, 1932 in Middleburg, South Africa. Most of his plays were about world issues like racial segregation. In 2006 he won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. He won the Oscar for his movie based on the novel Tsotsi. The novel Tsotsi was the first one he wrote. He has written several plays, novels. In his career he has also acted and directed several of these works of literature and won several awards. He was a very inspirational person in African theatre history.