This is a fine example of the contribution made by Unesco to the recording and encouragement of the world’s cultural heritage. Without its sponsorship it is doubtful whether this long‐term project of writing up the historical development, and current state of theater, country by country, could have taken off, and have every likelihood of being completed. In its presentation, the volume is loosely encyclopedic. The arrangement of contents follows a logical sequence of introductory articles that provide overviews of theater generally in Africa, and of specific and highly characteristic aspects such as dance and mime. Then follow, in alphabetical order, a series of lengthy articles about each country, which emphasize in each case, and to the extent that is appropriate, the national structure of performing arts; youth theater; puppet and mask theater; design and theater space; training; criticism and publications about the drama of that country. Within this structure the vivid reality, or otherwise in a very few instances, is conveyed, accompanied by some telling photos.
In the introductory articles, and again in the country sections, writers frequently make the point that the essence of African theater has been in the past, and to a large extent still is, spontaneity. A theme that emerges, understandably, is the decline in spontaneous, grass‐roots performance under the impact of changing social conditions. Along with this has been official recognition of the need to save indigenous theater, and recognition of the educational value of performance; thus many AIDS awareness campaigns and others with socially beneficial content are being put across at grass roots level by actors in the marketplace. The illustrations do not always bear out the emphasis on spontaneity, for the evident reason that good photographs often originate from more formal indoor presentations. But enough are included to convey the joie de vivre of street performance that some of us have been lucky enough to encounter (and not only in Africa!)
I had the good fortune to attend one of the more formal shows in the National Theatre at Dakar, Senegal, last year. The programme was entirely devoted to an internationally famous Senegalese musician and his troupe of performers and dancers. It started very late, and the front of the auditorium was packed with grandees and their ladies clothed in all their majestic finery. A lot of the stage was occupied by electronic amplifiers and instruments. Ominous for the authenticity, I thought. How wrong that proved to be! Within half an hour of his late start, the star and his company had brought many in the audience to their feet, and on to the stage; the grand ladies hauled up their skirts and twinkled their legs as though they were in the village street. The theatre’s formality had been abolished and audience participation was very high indeed. We all went home after a couple of hours, drenched in sweat and very well satisfied!
Rural Britain is also becoming increasingly familiar with, particularly, the African dance. At the time of writing, some communities in West Wales are revelling this summer, as on numerous other occasions, in studio performances by dancers from African countries who instruct as well as entertain. For such reasons I recommend this very welcome volume. It deserves to be on reference library shelves, despite its high price, because it is such a useful backup to growing public awareness of theatre from other cultures.
