THE PLACE OF DRAMA IN GHANAIAN CULTURE

BY

DANIEL APPIAH-ADJEI PART 1

The primary task in understanding drama is to develop an appreciation of our daily routine of life situations, not merely as a way of telling a story or as a vehicle for production, but as a special embodiment or an organic matter of the totality of our lives.

The basic premise of this paper is that, drama is a means to an end- the appropriate and expressive interpretation of the life of the Ghanaian with attention placed on the life cycle (Rite of passage) and various forms of traditional ceremonial presentations. The objective of this paper is to provide the reader with the tools of analysis which will give him/her insights into the total imaginative processes that make up place of drama in the Ghanaian cultural life.  

The Ghanaian heritage is intensely religious, hence the Ghanaian lives in a religious universe; all actions and thoughts have religious meaning and are inspired or influenced by religious point of view. From the ancient times, drama is noted to have emerged from religion; from the classical era, through the medieval period to the present times. As Charles Darwin, one of the greatest psychologists ever to emerge in this world stated that all humanity is from a common ancestry, let us discuss some of the countries and people who have lived and consider how drama came to being in their various cultural backgrounds

In the ancient times before Greek civilization, drama had been identified out of the dance of the ancient people, when instinctive rhythmic movements and desire to imitate evolved into pantomimes that showed or told or mimic something. There were initiation dances to teach the customs and cultural practices of the people to the boys and girls who had reached manhood and womanhood respectively. War dances to kindle bravery in the warriors; historical story dances to imitate events of the hunt or battle; and religious dances to appease the numerous unseen spirits believed to have the powers of rewards and punishment.

From these religious ceremonies brought together the chief representative of the gods, the medicine man, the witch doctor etc who will come dressed to suit the occasion with masks believe to have powerful magic and would pray through rituals to exorcise spirits and chant while other members of the community assisted or watched.

Out of these religious rituals, normally performed in circles in front of the temple, drama emerged with its speaking actor.

EGYPT

History has it that, the Egyptians were the first people to establish a type of drama, performing plays as early as 300 B.C. The Egyptian people were primarily concerned with life after death, and those who could afford it had huge pyramids built and splendidly furnished, for they intended to live in them in the afterworld. Their philosophy of life and death is exemplified in their drama.

There were five types of Egyptian plays, all of them serving more as religious ritual than as pure theatre, performed either in special tombs or in temples.

1.       The Pyramid plays were written on the tombs walls and included not only the plot and characters but basic stage directions. These religious dramas, enacted by priests, show the ascent of soul to become a star and symbolize the resurrection of the body.

2.       The Coronation Festival play was performed at the crowning of a new pharaoh

3.       The heb Sed or coronation Jubilee play celebrated the Pharaoh’s thirtieth year on the throne, enacting events of his reign.

4.       The Medicinal play evolved around magical healing. The plot concerned the goddess Isis, whose child is bitten by a scorpion. Isis heals her son by using artificial respiration and a magic cure.

5.       The Abydos Passion play also was developed around the resurrection theme. Set, the god of evil becomes jealous of his brother, Osiris. Tricking Osiris into a coffin, Set nails it, shut it and throws the coffin into river Nile. Isis, the wife of Osiris finds the coffin and buries her husband; but Set digs him up, dismembers the body and throws the pieces over the earth. Isis collects all the pieces and buries them again. Osiris is then resurrected and becomes King of the Dead, ruling over those mortals who ascend to heaven.

The annual production of this play, given as part of a religious festival, would last several days. It included a mock water battle on the Nile and funeral procession in which the audience participated. 

GREECE

With ancient Greek theatre, we have a drama so outstanding that it has never been surpassed. Only the Elizabethans came close to achieving such a degree. The Golden Age of Greece (500-400 B.C) brought us the greatest tragedies of all time, as well as outstanding creativity in such fields of architecture and government.

Greek theatre had its beginnings in the Dionysian rites that paid homage to Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. During these celebrations held around the stone altars at the foot of hilly vineyards, much dancing and singing of hymns or dithyrambs were performed to honour Dionysus. The presentations inspired the formation of choral groups which among other things organized vocal competitions. Out of the dithyrambic rituals developed tragedy, this literally means goat song (tragos ode).

ROMANS

With the Romans, since theatre was frowned upon by aristocratic Romans, audiences consisted mainly of the lower classes. Their desire was for entertainment. Scoffing at the aesthetic and intellectual, they demanded spectacle and vulgarity. Thus the imitated Greek theatre became decadent and hollow. Tragedies gradually degenerated and comedies slipped into vulgar slapsticks.

In 61 B.C., Pompey had a huge outdoor auditorium built but in order to make it legal, he had to erect a small statue of Venus at the top and called it a temple of worship. The “steps” of this temple, of course, served as seats for the theatre.

INDIA

The Hindu Theatre also saw dramatic form in ancient India dating back to 1500 B.C. when dialogue was used in the Vedic or religious hymns.

CHINA

The Chinese drama dates back to 2000 B.C., when interpretative dancing took a dramatic form, as ritualistic ancestor worship and military celebrations were staged. These early performances were however not presented as entertainment. The Chinese revered their ancestors; dramatic ritual was solely religious with only the emperor, the priests, and the court as participants and audience.

Later, the religious ritual developed into definite plays, but it was not until the 8^th and 9^th century  A.D. that Chinese drama blossomed, led by Emperor Ming Huang (713-756), who founded a school for actors in his pear tree garden. The school was so successful that Chinese actors are traditionally called “Children of the Pear Garden” Ming Huang continues as the patron saint of theatre, with actors burning incense to his statue before they go on stage.

The Drama of Ming Huang’s time was highly formal. It dealt primarily with three themes: Ancestor worship, military glory, and faithfulness to husband.

JAPAN

Early Japanese drama was probably based on the ritualistic dance of the Shinto religion, but in the fourteenth century the Japanese evolved the Noh Plays.

EUROPE

The Medieval period in the middle ages of Europe, was often called the dark ages because there was little or no cultural activity. For approximately 400 hundred tears, there was no theatre, except for the sparse folk festivals and a few wandering jugglers and minstrels, who managed to stir the theatrical cols that constantly being extinguished by the Church.

Yet, strange as it may seem, the Church that buried drama in the fifth century resurrected that same art sometime during the ninth century as it introduced the trope, short dramatized scenes into the mass.

From the entire discussion above, one can simply deduce that, drama is strictly embedded in religious activities. It is therefore very safe to conjecture that since the Ghanaian is a religious being all his activities within the cultural realm are highly dramatic.

DRAMA AND RITES OF PASSAGE

To the Ghanaian especially, the Akan, the life cycle or Rites of Passage has five main stages. They are from the birth of a child to his or her death. To mention them, they are :

Ø  Birth

Ø  Naming/Outdooring

Ø  Puberty/Initiation

Ø  Marriage

Ø  Death.

In administering any of these stations in the life of an Akan, special ritual or ceremonies are conducted in his or her honour. The ceremonies employ the elements of drama as the European knows them; a form of complete theatrical presentations. They include among other things;

·         performers,

·         audience,

·         properties (hand and stage)

·         stage

·         sound

·         lights

·         costume etc

COMMUNALISM

It must be noted that in the performance of all these stages, the whole community is involved. All activities are communal based and that all and sundry in one way or the other participates in the events. Even the sick and the old tries to be part of the celebration which seems to affect everybody within the community. The Akan proverb “wo yonko da ne woda” (what affects your friend also affects you) is very prominent in the deliberations these five stages of the Ghanaian life.