Feminist theater in Africa: Will it play in Ouagadougou?

Abstract

This paper attempts to bring together theater for development, the situation of rural women in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and feminist theory and practice through a discussion of the uses of theater as a means of empowering women. Performance is often used in the so‐called Third World countries to raise consciousness, to educate, and to problem solve. Women in these countries are at the bottom rung of the social, political, and economic ladder and suffer from many health problems caused by such factors as domestic violence, excision, inadequate nutrition, high birthrates, alcoholism, and labor‐intensive duties. Feminist theater, or performance with a feminist content, could be used as a strategy to raise women's awareness and consciousness of their situation. The paper examines women and development from a feminist perspective to see if the Western theories of feminism could be used to improve the situation of Third World women. There is also a discussion of the history of political theater, or thea...