Department: Linguistics African and European Languages
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1
Nigerian Drama in Arabic: Between Indigenization and Performance
This paper is a study of Arabic drama in Nigeria, with particular emphasis on the extent of indigenization and performance of this aspect of literary production. Drama as a type of literature, received a lot of attention, starting from the classical Greek Tragedies to the plays of major dramatists such as William Shakespeare, Moliere, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and others. It is designed to ‘delight and instruct’ and written primarily to be performed. In ancient Arabic literature, drama is not known; it only appeared in modern Arabic literature during the second half of the nineteenth century as a result of the strong relationship between Arabic and European literatures. During the periods that preceded the advent of drama among the Arabs, poetry and prose flourished. The situation is not different in Nigeria as Arabic drama of Nigerian authorship appeared much later in this current century. The past ten centuries (1000-1999) witnessed remarkable contribution by Nigerians to Arabic literature in the areas of poetry and prose. Today, while reading through Arabic dramas of Nigerian authorship, one quickly guesses that the play is Nigerian, as a mental picture of the Nigerian society comes vivid; but whether or not Arabic drama in Nigeria is fully indigenized and serves its purpose, is the area of contention of this paper. It argues that much has not been done in the area of performance, thereby literary genre.
Key words: Literature; Drama; Arabic drama; Indigenization; Performance;
