Redefining political drama: Onwueme and Nigerian society

Abstract

Tess Akaeka Onwueme, the noted Second Generation playwright of the Nigerian National Theatre movement, moved beyond initial attempts to fashion agendas for a developing postcolonial national theatre. Abandoning the original, First Generation trajectory to found a unique national culture through the celebration of Nigeria’s diverse literary and musical forms, she engaged more directly the political and social issues of her current national history. Inspired in part by Brechtian Epic Theatre performance style and theory, Onwueme’s stagecraft sought to merge Brecht’s famous ‘alienation effect’ with empathic character portrayals. Rejecting Brecht’s view that audiences should leave aside the emotional identification with the characters for the sake of a critical, disinterested perspective, Onwueme used both traditional character empathy and Brechtian distancing devices in her plays. Moreover, her often heavy use of irony and explicit political and social allusions created a critical perspective without sacrificing the audience’s emotive response to character and situation. The result was a richly textured and varied dramatic experience that included political issues of social complexity and psychological depth.