Abstract

ELEMENTS OF THEATRE IN TRADITIONAL RITUALS AND CEREMONIES OF GHANA

Evans Asante

Volume: 6 Issue: 4 2016

Abstract:

There have been doubts in various quarters, especially among western anthropologists as to whether drama did exist in Africa before the arrival of the Europeans as colonial masters. The emergence of this debate stems out of the variations in the definition of drama and theatre. Various scholars have tried to define theatre which mostly tilts towards the direction which suits their argument. However, others have come out with theories and facts to make assertions that Africans had and still have a form of drama. In the traditional Ghanaian society, rituals, ceremonies and festivals form an essential aspect of the daily life of its people. Marriage rites are essential rituals among the various ethnic groups in Ghana. This paper is an attempt to dramatically analyse some aspects of the Ghanaian marriage rites. A marriage rite among the Kassena-Nankana ethnic group in Paga, Northern Ghana is the basis of this paper. It has been observed that the marriage ritual has the elements of characterization, costume, make-up, enactment, props, music, dance and audience. In the final analysis, the researcher budges into the unending debate of the existence or not of drama before the advent of the colonial masters.

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