Abstract:
Drama is artistic when it depicts life. It deals with man's experience which is the raw
material for the playwright who is above all else a member of his particular society.
He absorbs the culture of his society, takes in the language, observes the environment,
discovers its idiosyncrasies and tries to reproduce them in his writings, especially in a
format that connects with the aesthetic and social values of his audience. Mohammed
ben-Abdallah is one Ghanaian dramatist who has developed a unique theatrical
technique that easily addresses both the aesthetic and social yearnings and hiccups of
society by re-inventing the history and indigenous knowledge of his society. This
thesis examines the form and thematic pre-occupations of Mohammed ben-Abdallah’s
drama and its impact towards theatre development in Ghana. The Fall of Kumbi and
The Trial of Mallam Ilya were used to explore his dramatic form and how he radically
exploits history and indigenous cultural practices by reading meanings into them and
re-inventing history to comment on social, religious and political issues. Textual
analysis and overlapping methodologies were used in ascertaining the uniqueness of
his drama.
Description:
A Thesis in the Department of Music Education, School of Creative Arts,
submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba,
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Philosophy
(Arts and Culture) degree
August, 2016
