Trauma and the Art of Dramatizing History:
Date
2007-09
Authors
Ezenwanebe, O.C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Adonis and Abbey Publishers Limited, SE11 4XZ, London, United Kingdom
Abstract
The literature of any nation is a key to unlock its past, view its present and
have an insight into its future. This is because there is an intricate relationship
between art and life.Theatre, among other arts, responds more promptly to social
issues and events. History is therefore a viable subject matter for drama. The
playwright as a social and psychological being is alive to the issues and events,
which impinge on his personality and helps to form his conception of the world.
This paper evaluates the complex relations of history, psychology and drama. The
aim is to critically examine how the playwright demonstrates the influences of
traumatic historical experiences as seen in the way he represents them on the stage.
The paper proposes that: traumatic history rarely escapes the creative impulse;
traumatic experiences shapes a playwright's view of the world and; this can be
seen in the dramatic works informed by such events and experiences.
To further the above arguments, Wole Soyinka's Madmen and Specialists, a play
on the Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970, which is also his personal response to it, is
analysed to unravel the relationship between the dramaturgy and the experience.
Other relevant materials like his novel The Mall Died, a record of his prison
experiences as a result of his role in the war, will also be analysed.
Description
Staff Pulication
Keywords
Literature , Drama
Citation
Ezenwanebe,O.C. (2007) Trauma and the Art of Dramatizing History: A Study of Soyinka's Madmen and Specialists. African Performance Review, Vol.1, (2&3), P. 31 - 45.