Ritual aesthetics in African dramaturgy

Abstract

Overtime, the term “ritual” has been perceived with some fright by children and ritual illiterates who are fed with the notion that ritual dwells in the act of witch-crafting. To these people, talking of ritual or visiting their villages is a wilful suicide. This raises the questions: Is ritual really an evil act? Can anything good come out of ritual? Who is a 'ritualist'? This study employs the sociological-analytical methodology in its investigation of ritual as a concept and its union with drama. It further explores the aesthetic derivatives of drama from ritual. In doing this, the study analytically makes references to some ritual drama texts, X-raying how ritual qualities strengthen their plots.

Keywords: Aesthetics, Communication, Drama, Ritual, Ritual-drama