The Transformation of Senkatana

Abstract

The research question in this article is to trace how the legend of Senkatana was transformed first into a drama and then into a tragedy. The methodology that is applied is to compare the salient features of the legend, the drama, and then the tragedy. An overarching finding is that the playwright developed a number of transformational processes in order to transform the essence of the plot, the number and line-up of characters as well as the drama’s structure. A second overarching finding concerns the medium of delivery where an originally orally narrated legend is transformed into a drama text written for performance on a stage before an audience. The third finding applies to the transformation of the character of Senkatana. This happens on a transcendental level when the legendary hero and king dies and becomes a deity after death—an instance of transformation that leads to transfiguration. A concluding finding is that several contemporary contextual readings of Mofokeng’s classic are possible.