South African Theatre as/and Intervention. Edited by Marcia Blumberg and Dennis Walder. Amsterdam & Atlanta: Editions Rodopi B.V., 1999; pp. 293 + illus. $25.50 paper; $83.00 hardcover; The Drama of South Africa: Plays, Pageants and Publics since 1910. By Loren Kruger. New York: Routledge, 1999; pp. xi + 277. $25.99 paper; $85.00 hardcover.

Extract

African theatre and theatre artists have a long history of playing interventionist roles in the sociopolitical climate of the continent. Al-Zalum (The Tyrant) brought about the expulsion of Yussuf Khayyat from Egypt in 1878. Wole Soyinka was incarcerated during the Nigerian Civil War of the 1960s and helped end military dictatorship in that country in the 1990s. Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Kamiriithu Theatre was razed in the 1970s and the playwright incarcerated by Kenya's political leadership for allegedly using the theatre to “teach” politics. South Africa, because of its long years of apartheid, produced an impressive list of interventionist theatre practitioners—Athol Fugard, Mbongeni Ngema, Barney Simon, John Kani, and many more. The latter half of the 1990s ushered in a new way of life in South Africa, and theatre that had vehemently protested the evils of apartheid sought new ways to be relevant. South African Theatre as/and Intervention continues the trend of interventionary theatre, gathering intellectuals and practitioners to discuss how theatre should engage itself in future interventions. Blumberg and Walder's is the first book entirely devoted to the subject of theatrical intervention in an African country, and, whereas past interventions have often been reactive, their approach is proactive. By looking at the present, they boldly predict the future and set the pace for a productive, meaningful intervention, not only in South African theatre, but in theatre through out Africa and the world. Though focused on South Africa, the ripples extend to African and world theatres.