ISSN 2756-3456
Global Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 8 (2), pp. 001-011, February, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Review
Art and societal dialectics in sub-Saharan Africa: A critique of Wa Thiong’o and Osofisan as dramatists
Samuel Okoronkwo Chukwu-Okoronkwo
Department of Theatre Arts, Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P. M. B. 5025, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]. Tel: +234 (0)803 550 3974.
Accepted 12 October, 2018
Abstract
Art, indeed, remains an effective means of representing reality. It has undoubtedly become instrumental in understanding and interpreting aspects of society – its inherent dialectics – its realities. Drama, therefore, as the most social of art forms invariably predisposes the dramatist/artist as invaluable in the solemn task of mirroring these realities. This paper surveys the socio-political developments, nay realities in two Sub-Saharan African societies, to examine the inextricable relationship between art and society as well as underscore the effect of the past on the present, using relevant works of two prominent dramatists from this region, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (Kenya) and Femi Osofisan (Nigeria) as paradigms.
Key words: Art, functionality, society, societal dialectics, artist.