Theatre of Burkina Faso (formerly the
Republic of Upper Volta) combines traditional
Burkinabé performance with the
colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 a ...
influences and post-colonial efforts to educate rural people to produce a distinctive national theatre. Traditional ritual ceremonies of the many ethnic groups in Burkina Faso have long involved dancing with masks. Western-style theatre became common during colonial times, heavily influenced by
French theatre
This article is an overview of the theatre of France.
Historic overview
Secular French theatre
Discussions about the origins of non-religious theatre ("théâtre profane") -- both drama and farce—in the Middle Ages remain controversial, but th ...
. With independence came a new style of theatre inspired by
forum theatre
Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with ...
aimed at educating and entertaining Burkina Faso's rural people.
Traditional theatre
Prior to colonialism, the daily lives of each of Burkina Faso's different ethnic groups were infused with performative rituals.
[Rubin, p.64] These rituals varied but often involved
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
and the use of
masks.
[Marchais, p.96] For example, the
Bwa and the
Nuna people use
tribal masks to represent the faces of spirits in dances on market days, at
funeral
A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
s and at
initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...
ceremonies, in order to better communicate with the protective spirits. The
Dagari people, during funeral ceremonies, perform before the corpse, re-enacting important moments from his or her life.
These practices, primarily of a religious nature, are gradually dying out but they still exert a significant influence on modern Burkinabè theatre.
[Rubin, p.65]
Theatre under French rule
French Upper Volta, a colony of
French West Africa
French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...
, was established on 1 March 1919. It became the
Republic of Upper Volta in 1958, and gained independence from France in 1960. During colonial times, there was no real emergence of a national theatre, with Burkinabè
troupes mingling with those of the rest of Francophone West Africa.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Burkinabè students studied at the
William Ponty Normal School in
Dakar,
Senegal, and were greatly influenced by contemporary Western theatre.
In the 1950s, following the appointment of
Bernard Cornut-Gentil as High Commissioner of French West Africa, it was decided to develop cultural centres in the major cities of the federation, and to begin holding competitive drama festivals.
In 1955 and 1957 the
Banfora Cultural Centre Troupe gained notice for its performances in these West African drama competitions. Influenced by
France, Western-style theatre became common in West Africa.
[Rubin, p.66] Even the
Christian church
In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...
, previously reluctant to associate with theatre due to its
animist
Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...
roots, began to form troupes of its own to spread the
liturgy
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
.
Post-independence
From 1971, the professional theatre of Burkina Faso emerged when the government created a Directorate of Culture to oversee the management of cultural affairs.
They organised an annual cultural festival called the "semaines de la jeunesse" (or "youth week").
This festival was responsible for developing rural theatre in the country.
Since 1983, the youth week has been replaced with the biennial
National Culture Week of Burkina Faso
The National Culture Week of Burkina Faso, better known by its French name ''La Semaine Nationale de la culture'' (SNC), is one of the most important cultural activities of Burkina Faso. It is a biennial event which takes place every two years in ...
which alternates with the
FESPACO film festival.
The need to educate people in rural areas lead to the creation of "social theatre".
In 1978,
Prosper Kampaoré {{wiktionary, prosper
Prosper may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places in the United States
* Prosper, Minnesota, an unincorporated community
* Prosper, North Dakota, an unincorporated community
* Prosper, Oregon, an unincorporated community
* Prosper, Texa ...
founded the
Atelier-Théâtre Burkinabè (ATB), a theatre group made up of volunteer actors who use their performances to educate the people of Burkina Faso.
The ATB was partly inspired by the
forum theatre
Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with ...
of
Brazilian director
Augusto Boal
Augusto Boal (16 March 1931 – 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian theatre practitioner, drama theorist, and political activist. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical left popular education movemen ...
.
[Conteh-Morgan, p.59] In 1989, Burkina Faso hosted the Franco-Forum Theatre conference.
In the 1990s, the theatre industry benefited from the establishment of two educational institutions. In 1990,
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
Jean-Pierre Guingané
Jean-Pierre or Jean Pierre may refer to:
People
* Karine Jean-Pierre b.1977, White House Deputy Press Secretary for President Joe Biden 2021-
* Jean-Pierre, Count of Montalivet (1766–1823), French statesman and Peer of France
* Eugenia Pierre ( ...
founded the
UNEDO (Union des ensembles dramatiques de Ouagadougou) stage school, for the training of stage actors.
[Herbert, p.38] In 1999, Prosper Kampaoré opened a theatrical training centre for people developing theatre projects.
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
{{Burkina Faso topics