Theatre of Africa – An OverviewIntroduction to TheatreThtre 270Theatre of AfricaI.General Difficulty in Assessing African TheatreA. Immense Diversity of Theatrical FormsB. Immense Diversity of Languages, DialectsC. Influence of European ColonialismII.Background of European ColonialismA. Fragmentation of Already Diverse CulturesTheatre of AfricaIII. Types of Post-Colonial TheatreA. Indigenous TheatreB. Post-Colonial Adaptations of Western TheatreC. Hybrid forms of Above1. Influence of Western Language InstructionTheatre of AfricaIV. Characteristics of Indigenous African TheatreA. Primacy of Theater & Performance over Written TextB. Grounding in Local, Immediate Cultural TraditionsC. Emphasis on Audience ParticipationTheatre of AfricaV.Example: Cultural & Performance Traditions in NigeriaA. Largest, Most Populous Country on ContinentB. Multiple Cultural Sub-Groups1. Yoruba Culturea. Egungen Festivalb. “Myth and Ritual”c. “Medieval”d. “Modern”Theatre of AfricaC.Soyinka, Wole(1934- ), D.A Dance of the Forests (1960)The EndTheatre of