The Performing Arts And Development
 Amandina Lihamba*
     This paper tries to link two dynamic processes which exhibit a dialectical relationship.
Development means changes, a re-alignment of forces to improve man's lot and enable him
to come to full realisation of himself. It aims at his total freedom through the exploitation of
his powers and potential, a historical process which is economic, political and cultural. All
man's activities are manifestations of growth or retardation within the process of
development. The perfoming arts, dance, mu&ic and theatre, are cultural activities which
contribute towards and at the same time manifest socio-economic development. These are
social historical phenomena which embody man's expressive capacity at each moment of his
development. An understanding of the proper role of the performing arts, therefore, calls for
an analysis of these elements not only as political and ideological phenomena but as aesthetic
processes as well.
     Much of the controversy surrounding the role of the performing arts in development
stems from an analysis of the art forms which are pointing in two directions. First, there is the
question of performances as art forms. Secondly, there exists a dialectical relationship
between these art forms and other activities of society. Like the other arts, the performing
arts have been established to manifest man's work, needs and aspirations. But this
manifestation is both peculiar and general. The performing arts demand to exist by their own
laws, but at the same time they are part oi the general activities of man. The aesthetics of the
performing arts display this duality in both their function and their mode of existence. Under
examination, the duality confirms the precarious balance between aesthetics and the
sociology of the performing arts; between performances as entertainment and the existence
of the use-value inherent in the art forms.
     As man develops or evolves, so do his ways of expressing his needs and aspirations. The
cultural outlets become proper manifestations in form and content of the position of society
at each stage of development. The art forms are social in both their foundation and effect in
that they arise as a response to specific aesthetic and functional needs, while their goal is an
impact on the society to which they owe their allegiance; this allegiance being both parochial
and universal, specific in its conception but general in application and effect. This is because,,
as Vasquez has succinctly put it:
        ... art is made by men who are historically conditioned, and that the universality
          that art achieves is not the abstract and timeless that idealist aestheticians speak of
         after creating an abyss between... art and society, but the human universality that
         is manifested in and- through the particular.
• Senior Lecturer, Department of Art, Music and Theatre, University of Dar es Salaam.
                                                    30


  This position follows the Marxian thesis that (I) the creators' 01 art are JIlen wboare S<lcialJy
  and historically conditioned, and (2) that in the relationship between the econoOlic
   base and the superstructure, art belongs to the superstructure.2 Pre-capitalist societies
  display the interaction between art expression and political organization very clearly. The
  existence in such societies of cultural expressions which correspond to communal
  organization and a low level technological presence is a testimony to this thesis. In his essay
  'Pe~santry as a Culture', Kazimier Dobrowolski observed: "Traditional culture is a reality
  ~iJ;en'rjs with its own. specific dynamics. A low 'level of agncultutal ~echnology and
  stability of peasant settlement re'presents, perhaps, its most important, foundation".'
        In African traditional societies, then, the overriding role which is played by'manual
  labour is the most important factor in the existence and transmission of theatrical activities
  and other performances. The product of labour is obtained almost immediately with no gap
  between the producer and the object of his labour. The only power is human labour, thus
  making the labour force dominant both qualitatively and quantitatively. Man satisfies not
  only his material needs through manual labour but his aesthetic needs as well. The form of
  his aesthetic outlets centres upon his own body, his movements, gestures, and speech. The
  oody and voice are the major instruments for the transmission of cultural elements from one
  generation to the next. It is thus by using mostly oral methods that the handing over is
  effected. Oral performance and transmission become dominant in the form and content of
  pre-capitalist societies. Though Ruth Finnegan fails to provide reasons as to the
  predominance and importance of oral tradition in African pre-capitalist societies, she
  succeeds in laying bare the basic characteristics and the role of performance within these
  societies:
              There is no mystery about the first lu<.lst"basic characteristic of oralliterature ...i
           This is the significance of the actual performance. Oral literature is by definition
           dependent on a performer who formulates it in words on a specific occasion - there
           is no other way in which it can be realized as a literary product.'
 The simplicity of oral art forms which depend on visual and audio-visual media is a reflection
 of the simplicity oCthe hand tool used in production. All labour, which is creative, catering to
 material and non-material needs depends on the living human being. Performances of a
 theatrical nature become closely intertwined with each other because of the communication
 structure which relies on man. Where pre-capitalist formations still exist the permeation of
 performances in other activities of man still lingers. This is because art, though a higher type
 of labour, is indistinguishable from other forms of labour. Creative labour becomes a
 manifestation of the practical activity of man by virtue of which he expresses and confirms
himself in the objective world as a social, and creative being.s The 'Odwira' festival of the
f\kwamu of Ghana illustrates this point very clearly. This festival concerns itself with the
economic and political structures of society which express themselves through various types
of ~rfonnances:          ritual, dance, music, theatre, masquerades, etc. It .is associated with the
yam, the most important food item of the Akwamu.
             The people celebrate this festival on.the fall of the ninth Adae. The festival has a
             three.fold significance. First, it is a period of remembrance: a time when people are
             remlOded of the warTior K.lOgSwho helped to found theIr state. It is alSOa lIme
             when the chiefs and their people bring sacrifices. to their goosto thank them for
             the mercies of the past and to ask for their protection in the future. Above all, it is a
             time when people come together to renew their family ties. In other words, it is a
             political, religious and social festival.'
      This ritual festival not only attests to the people's fundamental religious an~ id~ological
beliefs, but affirms also their ties to their mode of existence, the yam. In thiS ntual, the
                                                         31


economic base, the yam, tbrin2s together the past aDOfuture~ the old and the.new, the living
and the dead. The concern here is the welfare of society. The reproduction of value .. systems,
disciplines, taboos aDd political institutions is taken care of through such ~ ri~uaI. ~kot
p'Bitek points to yet another significance in the performances of J'>re-capltahllt Afncan
societies: unity.
            DUring the feast of Jok men and women and children from all parts of the.
            chiefdom gathered together, offered sacrifices to Jok and prayed that certam
            dangers that threatened the chiefdom as a whole should be av~rted. They fea~ted
            together, sharing the sacrificial beasts and beer and dancmg at the chiefs
            enclosure. With its rites, symbols and sacred places the chiefdom Jok and its
            annual feast united members of the chiefdom, hence its political significance.'
      In these societies, cultural content and institutions acquire an unusual importance
because they not only carry the knowledge of the means of production but attest further to
man's creative being and powers.
      The argument that African traditinnal l?erfo.~m3Jlcesare communal, participatory ano
 have a use-value cannot be isolated from an analysis of other pre-capitalist performances
 outside the continent. These are not peculiar traits in a peculiar situation. The reference point
 for cultural form and content is the organization of society around the mode of production.
 These performances are communal because the society is communal, organized around
 manual labour which requires working in groups. Collectivity.becomes Ii force in both art
 and society because man's activities at this stage are dePendent on containing the all-
 absorbing pre-occupation with survival. "Relationships of man to nature were simple, naked
 and direct." 8 Work is the responsibility of all and art, being creative work, is produced and
 consumed communally. All participate. The simple division of labour makes it difficult to
 separate mental and material product. Likewise, there is practically no separation between
 producers and consumers of culture as happened with the crystallization of classes.
       "Only as society developed did mental production become severed from material
 production in the separation of material producera from thinkers and artists."9 The
 communal and participatory nature of theatre per.(Or11Ulnceshas been retained in African
 societies because some of the structures which are responsible for their maintenance and
 trans~ission still exist. These have and will change as societies develop and change. In
 countries like Tanzania, some traditional formations, have been used as a base for the
 structure of a new society, with repercussions in both political and social structu~es.
       When the argument is put forward that traditional forms of African theatre
 performances have a use-value element, most advocates refer to pedagogical outlets. 10 The
 traditional forms have always been at the disposal of society to use them for instruction. The
 practic~l and utilitar~an. nature of rituals, dances, songs, theatre and the like have been
 clearly Illustrated against the backdrop of man's struBBle for survival. Performances such as
 story-telling, ritual, dance, drama and recitatil>'ns were used as institutions for the
 reproduction and transmission of social values from one generation to another. These were
 used, as Dobrowolski notes, to fulfil two needs of human existence:
            (a) th~t of regulating and ord~~ng' of human relationshjps founded on net of
            estabbshed values, skills and capacities ...
             b) t~at of the Improvement ofhilman exiStence by the securing of greatl'r mastery
             over the natural environment, by extending the knowiedge of surrounding           ~
             reality, by obtaining a greater security against hostile forces ... ll
 This argument exposes the ideological nature of the performing arts. But this exposition of .
                                                     32


   the use-value of art is limited and narrow because how does it come about that certain forms
  of the performing arts have lingered while the ideologies that gave rise to them have died?
  The answer to this can be sought from both man and the art form itself.
        There is an agreement that the perfoming arts, all art for that matter, have a function and
  fulfil a need in man. "Labour is thus not only the creation of useful objects that satisfy
  specific human needs, but also the art of objectifying or moulding human goals, ideas, or
  feelings." 12 Vasquez goes on to say that these products of labour express essential human
  powers and affirm man's self externally. There is an acceptance of the spirtuality of man
  whose needs art fulfils. Art becomes not only ideological but transcends ideology. Man has a
  need to express himself and through art he achieves this. This is clearly illustrated when
  looking at the early performances of man. Even though man translated his perception of the
  universe and ohenomma into a utilitarian vehicle to support life's struggle, his imagination
  soared to endow such vehicles a separate reality. The movement f,rom ritual to art and the
 performing arts is a manifestation of these activities refusing to be tieo down t'O onlv a materi-
 al use-value. Man's need to express and objectify himself through performa'nces'creates a
 duality of the use-value of the work of art:
             From the truly aesthetic point of view the work of art does noi depend for its life on
            either the ideology that inspires it or its function of reflecting reality. It exists by
            itself with its own reality into which that which it expresses of reflects is integrated,
            A work of art is primarily a human creation, and it exists through the creative
            Dower it incarnates. 13
            This separate reality of existence of the work of art does not mean that art has itself
            as an end, that art is for art's sake. There is no sqch thing because the goaI    of art is
             man; a manifestation of his creative powers. This is ~o yrecisely oecause it is a
             superior form of creation, an exceptional testimony to creative existence.. Humani-
            ty is present in every work of an,""
       This is true especially ill the performing arts where man is the constant reference point.
The object of creation in this case is the performance which, unlike other objects of art, lives
only during its prescntation. As a separate entity, the work of art has a reality of its own and
thus lives and can be judged according to its own laws. This is what Trotsky meant when he
said that a work of art should be judged by its own law which is the law of art.15 But what is
this law of art? Vasquez notes: "The artist creates objects in accordance with the laws of
beauty, transforming matter into a form which reveals his human essence in a concrete-
sensuous object. "16
      What is missing in the diSCUSSIOnof African pre-capitalist theatre performances is a
proper fpcus of the presence of this aesthetic sensibility - the humanisation of the senses and
their objects. This is the basic element which underlies the autonomy of art. To a certain,
extent a useful object in the utilitarian sense can exist without demanding that it fulfil the
demands of the sensuous. That art works within the parameters of the human senses elevates
art to a higher form of creation.
     The sensuous nature of art is made clear in the va~ous activities found in the performmg
arts vI pre-capitalist       societies. The interdisciplinary nature and interdependence 01 perfor-
mance elements can be seen in ritual, drama, ceremonials, theatre and dance. T~e Impact
 that these performances aim at is aural, vtsu'al and spatial-through                     the physical to the
 mental. Harap has pointed this out ,very clearly:                                           _
            The maierial~    of ~hich- each art is made have a logic and law of their own. One set
            of laws applies to spatial relations in the sraphic arts, another to colou~
            combinations,      another to the relations of tunes in music, another to poetIC
            imagery. The formal organization of such sensuous c:lements as pItches, colours,.
            lines, spaces, rhythms anc;!of id.ea,sand feelings as well follow patterns dIctated by
            the nature of these materials. the relations of notes in the scale, of colours m the
                                                      33


            pnsm, of tempos and rh~thms, of the spaces in design: though s~:ningIY infinite
            are fixed by nature and ulhized by man for his artistic purpose.
      In the performing arts the appeal to the srnses is made through the use of the body and
voice: the relationship of the body to space and objects, one part of the body to the other par-
ts. movement and its duration in space and within the body. rhythm in voice and body. feeli-
ngs in relation to movement and ideas. and these in turn in relation to one performer aJl~
another. Included are all the elements mentioned by Finnegan which are "expressiveness 01
tone, gesture, facial expression, dramatic use of pause and rhythm, the interplay of passion,
dignity, humour, receptivity to the reactions of the audience, etc."" It includes language in
verbal and non-verbal enactment.
       Man's need to express himself is very clear in the performing arts because he is not only
the subject and object but also the tool of expression. Therefore, there can be no discussion
about content without form. Like content, form is a social product determined by forces
within and outside art and the emotion it arouses is the emotion not of the individual but of
"associated men"!9. In ritual, in dance, drama and other theatrical performances, images are
 evoked, expressed and communicated. One can say that the senses become provoked,
 aroused to participate in the creation of the new reality of art. When discussing the problems
 of modern African theatre, de Graft puts it thus:
             lfwe wish to quarrel with our modern African theatre, then let us direct our rage at
             its sloppy amateurism; its lack of discipline and a sen~eof purpose.. ."2ll
      The quarrel here is not with relevant material which needs to be found and used, but with
the utilisation of the proper tools of cxpression in the performin~ arts. The problem is that
the sensuous nature of the art forms has been forgotten. The emphasis h~s been on finding the
proper theme to expose and not on how to use elements of performance for the exposition. It
is not enough to have the proper phrases which articulate the accepted ideological position
thematically, without taking into consideration how and what images can be aroused and
created. The problem here is not only negligence but a lack of understanding that the
performance, like other objects of art, is a reality of its own. Though based on nature, man
uses his experience and through his creative powers he brings into being a new reality. This
reality is not the reality displayed by nature and phenomena, but a representatjon. and
translation of man's experience. Harrison has observed that at the bottom of art lies not the
wish to copy nature or even improve on her, but rather an impulse sh~red by art with ritual
the desire. that is, to utter, to give out a strongly felt emotion or desire by representing itY
The new reality which is art. then, imitates nature only in the fact that it is a form of creation.
Vasquez also notes that:                                   ..
            The artist sees before him the immediate, given, concrete reality, but he cannot
            remain on that level,limitinghimselfto reproducing it ... The artist makes art intt~a
            means of knowledge not by copying reality, but by cr~ating a new one..."
 .    Looki~g at .the art form means looking at both technique and entertainment Technique
 IS the spectal skill needed to translate subject matter into an artistic m~dium. This translation
 is base~ on the accumulation allfl transmission of knowiedge of the skilt: But this body of
spect~hzed knowledge does not work alOQe.The artist incorporates it together with his own
 expenence and t~e accumulated knowledge of society. These act as guidelines in formula ting
 the form and content of a work of art. The fact that form and content are inseparable does,
                                                   '34'


  not mean that technique can be ignored. In a good piece of art or performance one is not
  aware of the manipulative powers at work to arouse the spectator. One knows that oneis be-
  ing manipulated and the feeli!lgs, idea~ and reactions one c;xpreises are the reiuIt of this
 manipulation. Surely this is what one should understand by entertainment in the theatre?
       There have been complaints about the entertainment bias which traditional forms of
 performances have receivedY The argument here. is that in countries like Tanzania,
 politicians have only seen fit to exploit performances to entertain visitors a.id use them as a
 preamhte to political rallies and gatherings. There .is validity in the repugnanCe shown
towards this type of 'airport culture'. These banal petformances intariably repulse one, not
 because the entertainment value has been emphasi1;ed, but because It has been ignoteQ. The
history of theatre is full of attempts to strike a balance between what Brecht Caned "reas,on
 and feeling": "It is quite clear to me that 'we have to get away from the antagonism between
 reason and. feeling.     "2(
       On the same lines, Mao argued in favour of a balanced artistic production:
            What we demand is the unity of politics and art, of content and form, and of
            revolutionary political content and the highest ~Ie           degree of perfectlon}1I
            artistic form, Works. of art, however politically progressln.art ~werlels If they lack
             artistic quality" (author's emphasis).
       Entertainment in the peforming arts means that material has been used with such skill
t:lat it touches the emotions, incites thoughts and stimulates the imagination. The audience is
sensitised by the signals and vocabulary of the dance, the drama, the music. The eyes and ears
act as the proper agents of perception responding to specific stimuli give!}by'the performer. 26
The interpretation of entertainment as performance that can make one laugh and make one
"happy" is very narrow. Unfortunatelv, this is the definition which African theatricians, '
inherited from the West. 1 he result has been to rob entertainment of its proper place in the
performing arts. Playwrights would not.write political treatises if they understood that theat-
re is a happening, an imaginative creation which thrives on the various signals sent to the
spectator to arouse his physical, mental and psychological states. Audiences would be spar~d
speech renditions and propaganda of the worst taste if'petformen believed that words
needed oral performance. Dances would not be mere imitations of the traditional past but
living signals that have a direct connection with the present performers and their audIence.
The performing arts, unlike some other arts, live only at the moment of performance and
demand that they be created anew at each happeqrog. This aspect of constant renewal gives
the performing arts their unusual, illusive character but at the same time offers a challenge to
the artists. This challenge must be answered at each performance, and it is only then that one
can claim thilt the performance has beeluntertainiag. Bad art offends not only because the
eye is offended, but also because it short changes man in his capacity to create and express his
powers. The imitators of Makonde carving are producing what Jengo calls' "ina-
uthentic art" not because they ar~ often not "Makonde carvers such as the Wazaramo"
but because these craftsmen have turned a process of creation into a non-creative procesS.21
They are producing for expendiency following the demands of forces outside art creation,
taking short. cuts to earn as much as possible as fast as possible. The resultsarewha~Vasquez
""lis "mass art", putting<ma'n at the periphery resulting in art is trivial banal and a caricature:
              By mass art we mean art whose products satisfy the pseudo-aesthetic needs of
               mass or reified man, who is himself a characteristic product of industrial capitalist
               society. "
                                                     35


        The tourists for whose whims the carvers produce their work do not create a real need
that the carv-ers need to satisfy. The objective qualities of art are left out and entertainment in
its most banal form is emphasised, the consumer sitS back, watching uninvolved. The only
 connection he has with the object of "art" is the possession of it. This alienation ofa ~ork of
 art from its creator and consumer has permeated the performing arts as well, especially ~n
 industrialized class societies.29 Itexists in marginal forms in neo-colonial states like Tanzama
 and Kenya where the dilemma has been recognized as a pull between foreign elements and
  "rtational patriotic effort~". Ngugi sums this up succinctly:
              In the present cultural struggle between foreign and national interests, most
              Kenyans would take the view that a modern Kenyan national culture should reflect
              the strength and confidence of a people who have completely rejected the position
              of always being the ragged-trousered philanthropists.':;o
         Even though theatre performances have so far escaped the commoditisation that
  sculpture and painting has gone through, they have nonetheless settled intu uninspiring
  mediocrity and scarcity. They have be~ome "imitative" and "unprogessive" in the artistic
  sense and not only politically, as Mukotani Rugyendo has put forward. J I They ha ve ceased to
  be creative and entertaining in its widest sense. In both these respects, modern African
  theatre can look at traditional forms and learn.
         Two major elements which co.ntributed _0 the creativeness and entertainment value of
  traditional pre-capitalist performances are their improvisational and satirical nature.
   Improvisation implies impermanence and change. This does not mean that performances
   were haphazard with no technique and a few set styles and forms. What it means is that
 performances were such that changes were part of the happening. A good example of the
  improvisational nature of traditional periormances has been observed in the story-telling
   techniques of the peoples of East Africa!2 Improvisation is an extension of the presence of
   constant r.hange within African Arts - the tendency of art to show a state of flux in its forms
   and structures; a tendency here to avoid rigidity and ossification.
          Improvisation occured in both form and content, giving the performing art forms an in-
    built capacity for change. In most cases the autonomy of art was reflected in the performan-
    ces, even within societies whose structure has resisted changc..lmprovisation in theatre, ho-
     wever, does not work where the performersdonot~d                     their medium, their material
     and their audience. Improvisat(on becomes effective:bKausc it forces the ,performers to be
   creative within the framework of the content and form. It is Ii technique which creates its own
    rules for the creative performer, opening up vast possibilities. In dance, in music and in
    drama, the traditional pe'rformer usedhis.kDowl*-oftbe              dance, the instrument and the
    theatre to weave new ideas, movements and rhythms in the performance. Improvisation
    needs skilled performers and not amateurs. This shows why there are apprenticl'ships in the
    performing arts and why most story-teUem-are~0klI1UeIa:lIftd wwrtcln. DanceaJcarn               their
   craft from childhood and are usually not giv~n recogmtion u~tillater in th~ir lives. JJ MakerS'
    of musical instruments hand down' their skill from. father' to son, uncle to nephew:
    Improvisation makes the performance immediate, unpredictable and exciting and gives the
    performers more manipulative powers to keep the currents of communication alive.
        , Traditional performance forms utilise ridicule, sarcasm and irony which arc part of
    satire. Performances are used to expose reality, not only in its positive entirety but also in its
    ~al~e.pretensio,ns. This is an instance where maO'.$caoacity to p.enetrate appearance is u~ed
   creatively. Pertormances where both rulers and the common man are ridiculed ormade tun
     of are found in many African societies.l• Finnepn, hoWeYe\'."~liI\ijte          right when sbe sing-
                                                      36


    les out the Mande comedies as exceptions rather than the rule in Afr.can performances ~ith
   satiric elements.35 It is true that more research 'need to be done on the subject, bu.t there are
    more known examples than Finnegan giveS'credit for. The dance-drama of the Yoruba and
    Hausa, the Isinyago and masque dances of the Makonde of Eastern Africa, and' the heroic
    recitations of the Bahima and Bahaya are ample testimony to this. Soyinka has pointed out
   that the satiric outlook is not confined to performances only. Satire and capacity to incorpo-
   rate the comical within the serious exists within the general cQsmological world view of the
   Yoruba. for example. The gods are taken seriously but their follies, pretensions and weak-
   ness are comically portrayed' and exposed for.analysis.16 The comical. ironical elements are
   used not only to elicit laughter but to give man a different perspective of his activities. The
   sense of play which is inherent in all performances is heightened.lncongruities of behaviour,
   thought and ideas are shown through the words and actions oftbe performances. The desired
   result is a realisation of pretensions and satirised vices in order to attain corrective measures.
  This goes beyond the mere elicitation of laughter for its own sake. Modern African
  theatre performances seem not to have learned from the traditional forms the function and
  technique of comedy. Birhanze echoes many when he says:
               The function of theatre in society must change. Today it is hardly anything more
               than just another form of entertainment. something one seesfor a laugh or a sniff
               for a couple of hours and then goes away... J7
        The reasons behind the loss of satire in the performing arts are many. E.N. Hussein
  touches upon one of them. Vichekesho. Vichekesho made the African ridicule himself to make
  the European laugh. This was laughter at the expense of the performer. who does not laugh
 with his audience; it was derogatory, it was negative. The end was not corrected behaviour
  but a widening of a racial gap and a prolongation of prejudices. Vicbekesho has left a bad
  taste in the mouths of many.
         Joe de Graft has pointed out another reason for the state o(affairs in African theatre
 today. He calls modern African theatff~ "amateur" and lacking in discipline. 38 He points not
 only to a lack of seriousness but also of technique. Satire and other elements of comedy
 require the acquisition and mastering of skills in material analysis and performance
 technique. The provocation of laughter becomes a means to an end.
         There is probably a more serious problem present which discourages self-criticism
 through comedy or any other kind of performance. This is that society has lost its sense of .
 humor and with it any willingness for exposure and diversion through theatre and other
 performances. There is an, intolerance, towards the invasion of the political and eccmomic
spheres by the performing arts. Ngugi wa Thiong'o and what has happened to him in recent
 years is a good example. In 1977. the government of Kenya banned'Ngug'i's Ngaabilla
 Ndeenda, a production which looked closely at the problems of exploitation and neo-
 colonialism. Ngugi ended up in detention for his elforts. In 1981. his other attempt. Maitu
 Njugira, was quashed. The play has been described as follows:
             The play Mahu Njugira... is what may be called a dramatised documentary on the
             forced labour and "kipande" laws in the ,colonial Kenya of the twenties and
             thirties. It shows the attempts in one community to repulse these and oth.er
             injustices and to survive as a unit despite tremendous official intrigue ana.
              brutality.. It shows indirectly the genesis of some of our people's subsequent
             po!ili~al movement and the seeds of their defeats and partial triumphs.'"
        The licence to perform this play was refused and Ngugi left to l.ament.....we wish to
denounce in the strongest possible terms the government's increasing intolerance and
                                                     37


repression of the Kenyan people's cultural initiatives. Secondly, we now question
fundamentally the seriousness of the government's commitment to Kenyan culture". 40
   Ngugi's cry could be echoed in many countries where efforts at building the performing
arts are being hampered by intolerance, mystification and ignorance from those who could
help. Commenting on the Tanzanian scene, P.O. Mlama sees the problem much more broad-
ly: "a lack of a clear—cut understanding of culture". 41 All these i easons have tended to pre-
vent the performing arts from developing and make them hold a peripheral position in soci-
ety. There is a pervading fear that the performing arts are capable of unleashing hidden de-
monic powers which are detrimental to some, while forgetting that this power can be direc-
ted. It is a powerful tool and weapon in the service of building, not only of destruction.
       The vitality of the performing arts lies in the duality of presence of the ideological and
aesthetic elements. If modern theatre performances are to advance and learn from the past,
then an analysis of both the political and economic structure and the parameters of art
creation must be penetrated. The desired result is not an imitation of the past, nor of other
cultures, but a utilisation of all available elements in the creation of new realities, new dramas
and theatre happenings, new dance and music. These elements can be acquired through the
inspirations that other people's cultural performances incite, but more importantly from
those traditional forms that display qualities both political and aesthetic from the immedwte
and distant past. Entertainment in the performing arts will then have come into its own. If
development means the thrust towards man's total freedom, the performing arts are vehicles
for the pursuit of that freedom. Not only can-they cater for his basic, physical needs but more
importantly they can cater for his mental and spiritual needs and for the expression of his
creative needs. When man creates, man exercises his powers to assert himself and move away
from physical and mental slavery. He produces to enable him to live a more creative life.
Good performances can fulfil this function for man in that they unleash his imagination; and
creative powers more sharply,
                                     Notes and References
 1. Adolfo Sanchez Vasquez.v4rr and Society, London, Merlin Press, 1973, p. 25.
2. Karl Marx, A contribution to the critique of Political Economy Moscow, Progress Publishers, 1970 p.
    20—24.
3. Kazimier Dobrowolski, "Peasantry as a Culture" in Peasant Societies ed. Teodor Shanin, England,
    Penguin. 1973,p.281. • : •
4. Ruth Finnegan, Oral Literature In Africa, Nairobi, Oxford University Press, 1976, p.2
5. Adolfo Sanchez Vasquez, op. cit. p.92~
6. Scott Kennedy, In Search of African Theatre, New York, Charles Scribner's & Sons, 1973, p.86.
7. Okot p'Bitek, Religion of the Central Luo, Nairobi, East African Literature Bureau, 1971, p. 84.
 8. Louis Harap, Social Roots of the Arts.'Ncw York, International Publishers, 1949, p. 11
 9. Ibid, p. 16
 1$ For a detailed discussion on traditional theatre and instruction see Penina Muhando and Ndyanao
 _ Balisidya,Fasihi na Sanaa Za Maonyesho, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Publishing House, 1976.
  11. Kazimier Dobrowolski, op. cit. p.278.
  12. AdolfoSanchez Vasquez, op.cit. p 63
  13. Ibid., p. 41.
  14. Ibid., p. 41.
                                                  38


 15. Leon Trotsky, On Literature and Art, New York, Pathfinder Press, 1977, p.37.
,16. Adolfo Sanchez Vasquez, op.tit., p.83
 17. Louis Harap, op.cit., p.55.
-18. Ruth Finnegan, op. tit., p. 3.
 19. Christopher Cauldwell,'///UN'OR and Reality, London, Lawrence and Wishart, 1977, p; 152.
•20. Joe de Graft, "Roots in African Theatre and Drama," in African Literature Today, No. 8, 1976, p.
      21—22.
 21. Jane E. Harrison, Ancient Art and Ritual, London, Oxford University Press, 1951, p.26.
 22. Adolfo Sanchez Vasquez, op.cit., p.32.
•23. See James N. Birhanze, "African Theatre: A Call for Change" in Umma Vol. 7 No. I, 1980, p. 13
• 24. George Lukacs on B. Brecht, New Left Review, No. 11, 1978, p. 91.
.25. Mao tse Tung, "Talks at the Yenan Forum on Art and Literature," in Selected Works, Vol. 5,
     International Publishers, New York, 1956. p. 86.
 26. Szs J.L. Styan, Drama, Stage and Audience, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1975.
 27. See E. Jengo, "Art and National Development," a paper given to Institute of Development Studies,
     University of Dar es Salaam, October 21, 1977.
 28. Adolfo Sanchez Vasquez, op.cit., p.244.
 29. Ibid.
30. Ngugi Wa Thiong'o,"The National Struggle to Survive" in Mail Maji No. 41, May 1980.
 31. See Mukotani Rugyendo, "Towards A Truly African Theatre," in Umma Vol 7 No. 1,. 1980, p.49.
 32. For detailed accounts on story-telling and improvisation see A. Lihamba, "Tale-Telling as a
     Performing Art," Department of Art, Music and Theatre, University o\ Dar es Salaam. 1980
     (unpublished).
 33. There is a great similarity between the apprenticeship in traditional societies of Africa and Asia. For
     the Oriental Theatre see Oscar G. Brockett, The Theatre: An Introduction. New York, Holt, Rinchart
     ,md Winston, Inc. 1969.
 34. Wole Soyinka, Myth, Literature and the African World View. Cambridge University Press, 1976.
     Also R.S. Rattray, Religion and Art in Ashanti. London, Oxford Clarendon Press, 1959.
       J.A. Adadeji, "Form and Function of Satire in Yoruba Drama", in Journal of African Studies,
       Vol. 4 No. 1, July, 1967.
  35. Sec Wole Soyinka, op.cit. E.N. Hussein, "On the Development of Theatre in East Africa," Ph.D
      Thesis, Humboldt University, 1974.
  36. Wole Soyinka, op.cit.
  37. James N. Birhanze, op.cit p.43
 38. Joe de Graft, op.cit. p.22.
  39. From a statement by Ngugi wa Thiong'o on the Kenyan Government refusal to grant a stage licence
      \r Kamiriithu Community Educational and Cultural Centre Theatre Group at a Press Conference
      held in Nairobi on 10th March 1982.
 40. Ibid.
 41. P.O. Mlama,"The Major Tasks and Problems of Cultural Policy and Implementation in Tanzania."
      a paper presented at the 6th International Summer Course for Cultural Policy and Mass Culture
     Activities for Cadres from Developing Countries, Soundershausen, German Democratic
      Republic, June 22-July 16, 1981.
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