African Theatre 10: Media & Performance (review)

Media and Performance is a collection of essays, interviews, and a screenplay. The majority of the authors are directly involved in production and performance and provide eyewitness accounts of their experiences. The guest editor, David Kerr, introduces the book with snapshots of the entries with critical commentary on the materials presented and Torsten Sannar sets the ball rolling with “ ‘I Ain’t Gonna Play Sun City!’: Anti-apartheid Solidarity and Its Consequences.” The essay examines the success of the “Sun City” project in the global anti-apartheid movement and its innovative musical aesthetic. Sarah Woodward deconstructs and examines specific issues that gave rise to Die Antwoord in “Ownership & Power: Debate & Discourse around the Subcultural Phenomenon of Die Antwoord.” She delves into how social networking sites presented an arena for Die Antwoord to flourish.

The next three chapters focus on video films from Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. “ ‘Border-Neutering’ Devices in Nigerian Home Video Tradition: A Study of Mainframe Films” by Gbemisola Adeoti examines the Nigerian home video tradition outlining its success and limitations. Tunde Kelani’s Mainframe Film and Television Productions, established in 1992, is the focus of the discussion, highlighting transnational polemics and transcultural aesthetics in three selected films produced by the organization. Vicensia Shule presents “Tanzanian Films: Between Innovation & Incompetence” by exploring the challenges Tanzanian video filmmakers face and proposing pragmatic solutions. She is optimistic that, despite the challenges, there have been remarkable improvements worth noting. “ ‘Telling Our Story’: Conversations with KinaUganda Home Movie Directors” by Sam Kasule is an interview with two Ugandan filmmakers: Mariam Ndagire and Ashraf Simwogerere. The two filmmakers share their experiences and make topical commentaries on the past, present, and future of the movie industry in Uganda. Both filmmakers confirmed that their desire to tell local stories on the screen was inspired by the popularity of Nigerian video films in Uganda.

The next two articles are centered on Zimbabwean television. Samuel Ravengai’s essay “Zimbabwe’s Studio 263: Navigating Between Entertainment & Health Messaging” focuses on the Zimbabwean television soap opera Studio 263. Using positivist theory, the article argues that media products such as Studio 263 can influence human behavior to bring about development. Ravengai describes how sponsors sometimes interfered with the artistic development of the show and how this interference is a form of neo-colonial cultural control. “Vele Abantu Sinjalo: Nationhood & Ethno-Linguistic Dissent in Zimbabwean Television Drama” by Nehemiah Chivandikwa and Ngonidzashe Muwonwa examines how dramatic performance styles have been incorporated in the construction of national and ethnic identities in Zimbabwe. With reference to Sinjalo, a popular drama series aired on Zimbabwe Television, the essay draws attention to the functions and limitations of ethno-linguistic discord in the construction of nationhood in a multi-lingual and democratic society. The authors point to how stylized techniques carried over from Theatre for Development relate to TV drama’s realistic conventions.

The last two essays focus on performances that combine stage techniques with video and other electronic media. Christy Adair’s essay “Within Between: Engaging Communities in Contemporary Dance Practice in East Africa” examines Lailah Masiga’s solo dance, which focuses on female genital mutilation, by juxtaposing it with realistic documentary. The author describes the dance performance and discusses its socio-political inspiration. “Water Feels: Layering Time in a Contemporary Multi-Media Performance” gives an account of Moratiwa Molewa’s multimedia production, created to fulfill a requirement for the MFA in Film and Television program at the University of Cape Town in 2008. The piece explores the conceptual relationships between different art forms and the potential of using mixed media to create time. The culmination of the book is Akinwumi Isola’s script for Campus Queen, which shares many resemblances with Nollywood films. The story reveals how corrupt political leaders use their power to cover their deeds.

The book succeeds in presenting the current state of media and performance in Africa but is lacking in its omission of essays on radio drama, the most consumed form of electronic media...