Agitprop, Part 5b
Drama and Poetry
Live drama and street theatre
are always going to be part of any study of Agitprop.
But in South Africa, the
actual tradition of political theatre that existed during the struggle against
apartheid, and which was associated with the actor/playwright Athol Fugard in particular, and with
the director Barney Simon, is practically
discontinued at the present time and for some years past, with the notable
exception of the efforts of actor/director/playwright John Kani.
Acting, directing, producing
and all of the dramatic performing arts continue to be cultivated in relation
to film and television. But live theatre as a mass phenomenon is hardly present
in South African streets and towns. Insofar as live drama does exist, it is
usually in theatres that are behind walls in Casino (gambling) complexes, while
the theatres that formerly prospered are often standing dark and neglected.
The great exponent of
political drama, apart from William Shakespeare, was the German communist
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956).
The effect of television has
been to commodify and to render unfruitful the impact of drama on the lives of
the people. Television becomes the wallpaper of our lives.
All of the above applies as
well to stand-up comedy, variety and cabaret, for the time being, and to Ballet
and Classical Music, including Opera, which flourish in socialist countries,
but in South Africa are elite pursuits.
In the apartheid years there
was a performing group called Amandla Cultural Ensemble, also known as
the Amandla Group. It was high quality and it made a great impact. The Amandla
Group were recorded as musicians, and there is at least one clip of them on
YouTube.
Apart from the casino
theatres, drama and live performance art are probably only being practised in
schools, colleges and universities in South Africa. The extent to which drama
and the other performance arts are taught in South Africa, we do not know, but
we would expect that the graduates would mainly be headed for the television
production studio and related industries, in any case.
Poetry
Poetry is something that
continues to have a life. People are still writing poetry and performing it,
live. Comrades sometimes publish their poems on the Communist University.
Poetry lives, and is ready to have its day again.
·
The above is to
introduce our reading-text on Song, Dance, Drama
and Poetry.
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