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The point of departure, in this brief but succinct study, is the author’s conviction that “theatre is not a European particularity,” and that in his view, it is a universal “reflection and expression of societal needs.” The book deals with this complex issue, starting with the contributions of the pioneers of the Negritude movement through the writings and works of the Martinican poet Aimé Césaire and the Senegalese poet and former president Léopold Sédar Senghor and their experiments in African theatre. The author also offers a brief survey of theatre experimentation in the Arab world, including what became known as “Third world” theatre in the 1960s and 70s, as part of an attempt to build a modernised national theatre in form and content in the midst of the post-colonial contradictions that have previously been touched upon.

This book is part of the work that Dr. Yousif Aydabi has been involved with as a playwright, literary critic, and poet. These issues were part of his pioneering project in his homeland Sudan during the years prior to his emigration and expatriation to the Gulf and beyond. His was a project to build a “Sudanese” theatre, which he called in his well-known manifesto “Towards a Theatre for All Sudanese People,”in which he has embraced the plurality of Sudan’s ethnicities and cultures. We at the Africa Institute are honoured to publish this book as the first one in this series.

About the Author

Dr. Yousif Aydabi graduated with a specialization in comparative theatre and film studies in Sudan. He has held various professional positions in cultural planning and management in the fields of education, journalism and publishing. A Critic and Editor, he has published several books on poetry, cinema and art.

The point of departure, in this brief but succinct study, is the author’s conviction that “theatre is not a European particularity,” and that in his view, it is a universal “reflection and expression of societal needs.” The book deals with this complex issue, starting with the contributions of the pioneers of the Negritude movement through the writings and works of the Martinican poet Aimé Césaire and the Senegalese poet and former president Léopold Sédar Senghor and their experiments in African theatre. The author also offers a brief survey of theatre experimentation in the Arab world, including what became known as “Third world” theatre in the 1960s and 70s, as part of an attempt to build a modernised national theatre in form and content in the midst of the post-colonial contradictions that have previously been touched upon.

The point of departure, in this brief but succinct study, is the author’s conviction that “theatre is not a European particularity,” and that in his view, it is a universal “reflection and expression of societal needs.” The book deals with this complex issue, starting with the contributions of the pioneers of the Negritude movement through the writings and works of the Martinican poet Aimé Césaire and the Senegalese poet and former president Léopold Sédar Senghor and their experiments in African theatre. The author also offers a brief survey of theatre experimentation in the Arab world, including what became known as “Third world” theatre in the 1960s and 70s, as part of an attempt to build a modernised national theatre in form and content in the midst of the post-colonial contradictions that have previously been touched upon.

This book is part of the work that Dr. Yousif Aydabi has been involved with as a playwright, literary critic, and poet. These issues were part of his pioneering project in his homeland Sudan during the years prior to his emigration and expatriation to the Gulf and beyond. His was a project to build a “Sudanese” theatre, which he called in his well-known manifesto “Towards a Theatre for All Sudanese People,”in which he has embraced the plurality of Sudan’s ethnicities and cultures. We at the Africa Institute are honoured to publish this book as the first one in this series.

About the Author

Dr. Yousif Aydabi graduated with a specialization in comparative theatre and film studies in Sudan. He has held various professional positions in cultural planning and management in the fields of education, journalism and publishing. A Critic and Editor, he has published several books on poetry, cinema and art.

Publisher

The Africa Institute (Sharjah, UAE) and Madarat (Khartoum, Sudan)

Language

Arabic

ISBN

978-9948-25-212-2

Dimensions

18 x 13 cm, paperback

Year of Publication

2020

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