Evans Asante - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Evans Asante

Research paper thumbnail of The Legend of Aku Sika: A Transposition of Folk Narrative to a Stage Play

International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature

The Legend of Aku Sika is a stage play transposed from a folktale Aku Sika. Folktale is a story f... more The Legend of Aku Sika is a stage play transposed from a folktale Aku Sika. Folktale is a story from a folkloric background, a community or societal based story, passed on orally from a generation to the other. Folktale, according to Soanes (1995) in the Oxford Dictionary of Current English, "is a traditional story originally passed on by word of mouth" Folktales are kind of stories that are passed on from generation to generation. Folktales do not have a single sources and authors. Most of them are community bound. They develop as different people tell them over time. Folktales are the creations of "the folk," or the community people and are mostly oral. The playwright serves as a force for social reconstruction by sensitizing the public or society on occurring issues. Playwrights have variety of sources for their dramatic works. Ancient playwrights wrote based on myths, fables and on biblical events. To serve the purpose of education, sensitization and entertainment, the playwrights must be good observers of the society in which they find themselves. This will aid them in writing gripping stories, which will make the readers tick. 2. THE TREATMENT The idea of transposing folk narrative i.e. Myths, Legends, Fables, Folktales into stage plays have always been part of the origins and development of drama and theatre in many cultures in the world. For example, during the classical Greek period, dramatists like Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes among many others transposed ancient Greek myths into their modern stage drama as part of the Dionysian Festivals. Again, during the medieval period in Europe, biblical narratives such as the Parables were transposed into stage performances, and this formed the basis of Mystery, Miracle and Morality plays. These efforts certainly enhanced not only the availability of greater literature but also a greater understanding of the content and message of the plays, as the priests enacted them before the congregation. For example, Quem Queritis Cohen (2000) which means whom do you seek was performed in the sanctuary as part of the feast of Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ) and Everymana morality play.

Research paper thumbnail of Post Colonial Theory and African Drama: A Critical perspective on Ananse in the Land of Idiots

Said in his Orientalism criticised the "Occident"-Europe and the Western world of their intention... more Said in his Orientalism criticised the "Occident"-Europe and the Western world of their intentionally orchestrated and subjective representation of the "Orient"-Other (East/Asia) as uncivilised or uncouth so as to better their position for hegemonic and neo-colonial imperialistic opportunities. To Said, the occidental misrepresentations of the Orient are constructed through "contrasting image, idea, personality, experience" of the Orient with "very large mass of writers, among whom are poets, novelists, philosophers, political theorists, economists, and imperial administrators" championing the course (Said, 1978, p.2). As a spring that would propel intensive theoretical discourse and performativity among scholars and artists, the term postcolonial which first appeared in the writings of Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths and Helen Tiffinin the1980s and has become a major theory that deals with the body of literature that originate from formerly colonised, colonised and third world nations that try to unveil, correct and push back the occidental misrepresentations of the identities of such nations (Al-Saidi, 2014). This characteristic of the postcolonial theory is shared by Barry (2006) which reveals that the postcolonial theory attempts to reverse occidental constructions of the other by attempting to replace such demeaning constructs with the authentic versions of the marginalised non-European and Western people. This is firmly agreed by Homi Bhabha who has established himself as one of the staunch scholars of postcolonial theory. Bhabha (1994, p. 171) argues: Postcolonial perspectives emerge from the colonial testimony of Third World countries and the discourses of "minorities" within the geopolitical divisions of East and West, North and South. They intervene in those ideological discourses of modernity that attempt to give a hegemonic "normality" to the uneven development and the differential, often disadvantaged, histories of nations, race, communities, peoples.

Research paper thumbnail of The Legend of Aku Sika: A Transposition of Folk Narrative to a Stage Play

International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature

The Legend of Aku Sika is a stage play transposed from a folktale Aku Sika. Folktale is a story f... more The Legend of Aku Sika is a stage play transposed from a folktale Aku Sika. Folktale is a story from a folkloric background, a community or societal based story, passed on orally from a generation to the other. Folktale, according to Soanes (1995) in the Oxford Dictionary of Current English, "is a traditional story originally passed on by word of mouth" Folktales are kind of stories that are passed on from generation to generation. Folktales do not have a single sources and authors. Most of them are community bound. They develop as different people tell them over time. Folktales are the creations of "the folk," or the community people and are mostly oral. The playwright serves as a force for social reconstruction by sensitizing the public or society on occurring issues. Playwrights have variety of sources for their dramatic works. Ancient playwrights wrote based on myths, fables and on biblical events. To serve the purpose of education, sensitization and entertainment, the playwrights must be good observers of the society in which they find themselves. This will aid them in writing gripping stories, which will make the readers tick. 2. THE TREATMENT The idea of transposing folk narrative i.e. Myths, Legends, Fables, Folktales into stage plays have always been part of the origins and development of drama and theatre in many cultures in the world. For example, during the classical Greek period, dramatists like Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes among many others transposed ancient Greek myths into their modern stage drama as part of the Dionysian Festivals. Again, during the medieval period in Europe, biblical narratives such as the Parables were transposed into stage performances, and this formed the basis of Mystery, Miracle and Morality plays. These efforts certainly enhanced not only the availability of greater literature but also a greater understanding of the content and message of the plays, as the priests enacted them before the congregation. For example, Quem Queritis Cohen (2000) which means whom do you seek was performed in the sanctuary as part of the feast of Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ) and Everymana morality play.

Research paper thumbnail of Post Colonial Theory and African Drama: A Critical perspective on Ananse in the Land of Idiots

Said in his Orientalism criticised the "Occident"-Europe and the Western world of their intention... more Said in his Orientalism criticised the "Occident"-Europe and the Western world of their intentionally orchestrated and subjective representation of the "Orient"-Other (East/Asia) as uncivilised or uncouth so as to better their position for hegemonic and neo-colonial imperialistic opportunities. To Said, the occidental misrepresentations of the Orient are constructed through "contrasting image, idea, personality, experience" of the Orient with "very large mass of writers, among whom are poets, novelists, philosophers, political theorists, economists, and imperial administrators" championing the course (Said, 1978, p.2). As a spring that would propel intensive theoretical discourse and performativity among scholars and artists, the term postcolonial which first appeared in the writings of Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths and Helen Tiffinin the1980s and has become a major theory that deals with the body of literature that originate from formerly colonised, colonised and third world nations that try to unveil, correct and push back the occidental misrepresentations of the identities of such nations (Al-Saidi, 2014). This characteristic of the postcolonial theory is shared by Barry (2006) which reveals that the postcolonial theory attempts to reverse occidental constructions of the other by attempting to replace such demeaning constructs with the authentic versions of the marginalised non-European and Western people. This is firmly agreed by Homi Bhabha who has established himself as one of the staunch scholars of postcolonial theory. Bhabha (1994, p. 171) argues: Postcolonial perspectives emerge from the colonial testimony of Third World countries and the discourses of "minorities" within the geopolitical divisions of East and West, North and South. They intervene in those ideological discourses of modernity that attempt to give a hegemonic "normality" to the uneven development and the differential, often disadvantaged, histories of nations, race, communities, peoples.