Performing Africa: Remixing Tradition, Theatre, and Culture

253 Pages·2007·28.29 MB·English

by  Thomas Riccio

Advance Praise for
Performing

Africa

“Thomas Riccio’s working methods vary, but the goal is always the
same: to help local people understand, and above all appreciate, their
own traditions and themselves as part of their culture—to make thea-
tre starting with the people and culture to express them on their own
terms. The work is done as a collective interaction, emphasizing
physical expression, which makes people more available to a fuller
sense of self, including ‘spiritual things.’ Through Riccio’s work, for-
gotten and undervalued oral traditions find a new life and the commu-
nity a renewed mechanism of communication.”
Suna Vuori
Helsingin Sanomat
(Helsinki Messenger)

“Thomas Riccio’s has had long experience working with indigenous
peoples, and an ability to submerge himself in cultures other than his
own, where that is closer to the arena of religious or spiritual experi-
ence, where the emphasis of both performer and viewer is on the ex-
periential.”
Stephen Coan
The Natal Witness
Durban, South Africa

“Thomas Riccio is a unique character, with his far-ranging theatre
work travels. But he is also a harbinger, and a person who incarnates
the intercultural problem/opportunity.”
Richard Schechner
Editor, The Drama Review

Performing
Africa
PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt am Main (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
Thomas Riccio

Performing
Africa

Remixing Tradition, Theatre,
and Culture

PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt am Main (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Riccio, Thomas.
Performing Africa: remixing tradition, theatre, and culture / Thomas Riccio.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Performing arts—Africa. I. Title.
PN2969.R55 791.0967—dc22 2006035131
ISBN-13: 978-0-8204-8899-8
ISBN-10: 0-8204-8899-2

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek.
Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
on the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de/.

Cover design by Sophie Boorsch Appel

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.

© 2007 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.

Printed in Germany
To Joseph J. Garry, Jr.
He started me on this journey.

Contents

Acknowledgments ix

(Re) Mixing Place, Culture and Performance 1
Emandulo: Process and Performance in a Changing South Africa 23
Politics, Slapstick and Zulus on Tour 49
In Zambia, Performing the Spirits 75
The !Xuu and Khwe Bushmen 103

Tanzania Theatre From Marx to the Marketplace 129
Being African, Acting French 159
Community Health Awareness Puppets in Kenya 185
Trickster by Trade: Thomas Riccio on Indigenous Theatre 205
Notes 223
Bibliography 227
Index 233