Ananse as a Folkloric Character in New Ghanaian Drama

Abstract

This study explores the various roles that Ananse play in Ghanaian Drama and how this folkloric character has evolved and transformed with time. The study also seeks to determine if Ananse as a folkloric character is justifiably a villain as society has most often dubbed him, or if he has other redeeming qualities which equally need to be highlighted. This thesis therefore seeks to answer the question of who Ananse really is as a folkloric character as well as what motivates his actions. Again it assesses the features of Anansegoro as the basis for the study. The appropriate framework within which this thesis is embedded in the post- colonial theoretical discourse. This is because it forms part of the theatre in post- independent Africa. Within this framework, Ghanaian writers made conscious efforts to explore the indigenous socio-cultural structures such as their history, cultural beliefs, practices, customs and the totality of the African experience in creating their own unique theatres. Apparently, this theatre can very easily be identified and described as a true reflection of African and Ghanaian heritage in particular. The study also documents the contributions of four Ghanaian playwrights namely; Efua Sutherland, Yaw Asare, Martin Owusu and Efo Kodjo Mawugbe in the growth and development of theatre in Ghana. It focuses its analysis on four plays in which Ananse is depicted as a folkloric character in order to examine Ananse’s role and what he seeks to achieve in the various plays. The analysed plays include, The Marriage of Anansewa (1975) by Sutherland, Ananse in the Land of Idiots (2006) by Asare, The Story Ananse Told (1999) by Owusu and Ananse- Kweku Ananse (2004) by Mawugbe. The study examines new perspectives to certain features of Anansegoro mostly in the style and the treatment of Ananse as a character by each playwright. The subject-matter and motivations of the playwrights in each play is also discussed. The study reveals that Ananse as a folkloric character is not always a villain. He is a cultural hero in whom most of our traditional values, customs and practices are reflected. He is also a hero from whom we gain advice and learn traditional values. At other times he is merely a narrator or the owner of the story whose role is to tell us how things are in the society. In other words, my study argues that against the traditional stereotype of villainy, Ananse is a multi-dimensional character that epitomizes the attributes of heroism and villainy.