Form and Identity of Mohammed Ben Abdallah's the Fall of Kumbi

Abstract

Drama is artistic when it depicts life. Drama deals with mans' everyday experiences to draw material for the playwright who is above all else as a member of the particular society. The playwright absorbs the culture of his immediate environment, takes in the language of the people, and observes the environment to discover the idiosyncrasies so as to reproduce them in his writings, especially in a format that connects with the aesthetics and social values of his audience. There is therefore the need to seek expressions that have the impetus of serving as the catalyst for identity and uniqueness which is peculiar and portrays the African in their performance arts and acts and mode of presentation. Mohammed Ben Abdallah is one such Ghanaian playwright who has tried to develop a unique dramatic technique called Abibigro that addresses both aesthetic and social yearnings of the Ghanaian and Africa for that matter. This paper attempts a cursory look at identifying and examining the dramatic form of Mohammed Ben Abdallah in his play "The Fall of Kumbi”. It is demonstrated in the paper how the playwright uses the Abibigro technique to plunge his audiences into total African Theatre. The paper concludes on Abdallah as playwright and the influences that underpin his writings and what makes him a modern dramatist.