SL+West+African+Theatre

Jameson Lindsey Theatre 2000 Dr. Farley Richmond West African Theatre I chose West African theatre to write about because of its deep connection with music and singing. The section from Theatrical World’s first begins to talk about the first //griot//, Balla Faséké. Griotsor as native peoples call them, the “praise-singers”, are people who sing about “local history, current events, genealogy, and mythic tales” (Theatrical Worlds). They are the keepers of local traditions/history that pass down their knowledge by singing with accompaniments such as the kora or komsa. Female griots are called griottes. Griots came about during the Malinke Empire about seven centuries ago. The Empire stretched from “modern day Senegal to Timbuktu and Gao in Mali” (James). The griots’ main functions were as advisors to the court as well as story-tellers, musicians, and praise-singers. In fact, griots were often presented as gifts to a king’s successor. Traditionally, griots serve the upper-class, richer citizens or nobility. There specialties are formal ceremonies such as weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Modern griots still sing, but they have a closer tie with music and other forms of art. A lot of Africa’s well-known artists have connections with griot traditions. Guinea’s Mory Kanté and Senegal’s Mansour Seck were both born into griot castes that taught them from a very young age to sing and story-tell. Many of Africa’s popular singers are straying from the griot’s traditional music and adding more contemporary vibes such as Salif Keita who “blends together the traditional griot music of his Malian childhood with other West African influences” (The African Music Encyclopedia) as well as Central American and Indian sounds. Griot traditions are also expanding into art forms such as film. Senegalese film director, Djibril Diop Mambéty, directed //Touki Bouki// which was extremely successful based of his understanding that “ ‘ the griot is a messenger of one’s time, a visionary and the creator of the future’” (James). The main forms of art that griot traditions have expanded into, however, are theatre and performances. A well-known example of this are the ritualistic performances carried out in Yoruba. These performances that celebrate weddings/births/death can be in the form of parades or processionals and often use masks, costumes, and dance. Another example of theatrical griot traditions include the Osun Osogbo Festival that lasts for two weeks in the sacred groves of Osogbo, Nigeria. This festival occurs every year in August to honor the Yoruba goddess of fertility, Osun. The ancient peoples who had moved into the grove began to use the land to plant crops. The story tells that the peoples uprooted a tree and it fell into the Osun river. The peoples then heard the river lament the groves destruction; they began to sing to the river to ask the goddess to forgive them. Now, in exchange for the goddess’s grace, the people come to worship the grove and vow to keep it sacred. media type="youtube" key="ij8KnQNzGus" width="560" height="315"

In Sierra Leone, the Mende people perform a tradition known as domei, which uses a stock of archetypal characters such as the Defiant Maid and Stubborn Farmer. Domei is usually contains dark content and all-black costumes that attempt to bring about debates through improvisational story-telling form. Domei are the only forms that exclusively deal with basic human problems. It uses words, songs, dance, and mimicry to bring its stories to life. The most popular stories are of the njepe wovei genre in which very basic stories are told about Kaso (a spider-trickster) and Musa Wo (trickster-hero). Njepe wovei Domei usually follows a pattern of a basic plot of transgression followed by punishments. The Kaso character is most popular character, especially for children. In the 1920’s, the traveling theatre from known as “concert party” emerged in Ghana. It was created by Bob Johnson and strayed from traditional African forms. “Concert party” uses quality musicians to create cabaret- style performances. There is dance that is inspired by American minstrelsy and film, African-American spirituals, Latin music, and West African jazz. The heyday for this style around the 50’s and 60’s is known as the golden age of West African theatre. The actors that performed “concert party” wore minstrel makeup and played tricksters. They costumes were eclectic, attempting to be comedic and over-the-top. media type="youtube" key="UfymepLnLD8" width="560" height="315" Even though West African theatre gets its roots from the ancient griots and their story-telling, modern West African theatre has branched out and reached multiple art forms to become a diversified and colorful theatrical culture. Work Cited "The Griots of West Africa - Much More than Story-tellers" by John James in 2012 "Salif Keita" from the African Music Encyclopedia "Osun Osogbo" from PBS.org "African Folklore: An Encyclopedia" edited by Philip M. Peek and Kwesi Yankah "Ghana's Concert Party Theatre" by C.M. Cole and contributed by Tendair Mutkwa "Mende" from Art and Life in Africa in the University of Iowa Museum of Art