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Metaphors and Climax explores the artistic forays of the late Ogonna Agu (Ph.D.), Nigerian writer, critic, actor, director, painter and Associate Professor of drama and theatre. In 19 exciting essays, this book captures the creative canvas of Agu as expressed in the genres of literary drama, performance and theatre criticism. Besides establishing the versatility of Agu as a virtuoso artist, the volume significantly interrogates the thematic preoccupations of his plays, their sociological values and the potentials and challenges of putting them on stage as performance texts. Issues such as the creative philosophy of Agu, the dramatic reflections of the Nigerian Civil War, the ideology of Biafra, the political economy of postcolonial Africa, love, gender and culture, and the ethical demands of peace and reconciliation demonstrate the broad canvas on which Agu's creative works are painted. The compendium is a good reference material for scholars, practitioners and students of African theatre, politics and culture.
This book considers the promises and challenges of globalization for Africa. Why have African states been perennially unable to diversify their economies and move beyond export of primary produce, even as Southeast Asia has made a tremendous leap into manufacturing? What institutional impediments are in play in African states? What reforms would mitigate the negative effects of globalization and distribute its benefits more equitably? Covering critical themes such as political leadership, security challenges, the creative sector, and community life, essays in this volume argue that the starting point for Africa’s meaningful engagement with the rest of the world must be to look inward, examine Africa’s institutions, and work towards reforms that promote inclusiveness and stability.
An Ordinary Country: Issues in the Transition from Apartheid to Democracy in South Africa disputes the notion of a "miracle" transition in this country. It argues that the new South Africa had to happen in the way it did because of the specific history of the country and the players involved. While it identifies some of the turning points at which critical choices were made by local and international forces, it shows why, in retrospect, the known decisions were made rather than other possible ones. Alexander explores a range of issues in post-apartheid South Africa including national identity and the rainbow nation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the role and status of language, showing the volatility, the tentativeness, and the fluidity of the situation that is evolving. In looking ahead at probable developments, An Ordinary Country predicts that South Africa will develop, or stagnate, as a "normal" bourgeois democratic social formation for the next generation, at least until the inevitable alternatives to the prevailing system of political economy regain their credibility.
"Film in Nigeria is an exceptional work on the scholarship of film in Nigeria and the Nigerian film. It is a pioneering in more ways than one. It was Film in Nigeria that opened up this new area of scholarship in the study of visual culture in Nigeria. Each of the ten chapters sizes up the different context of film production in Nigeria, and they cohere to provide rare information on the making of the Nigerian cinema since the colonial times. The value of this work lies in its establishment of a dynamic groundwork for the analysis and appreciation of the contexts in which films are produced and consumed in Nigeria, and in particular the Nigerian film. There is hardly any book on the subject with the rare insights of this book. This book will surely find its place in courses on African Film Studies, Mass Communications, Theatre Art Studies, Popular Culture, Policy Studies and to those interested or involved in film appreciation and production in Nigeria"--
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The plays included in this volume are: Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka; Anowa by Ama Ata Aidoo; The Chattering and the Song by Femo Osofisan; The Rise and SHine of Comrade Fiasco by Andrew Whalley; Woza Albert! by Percy Mtwa, et al; and The Other War by Alemseged Tesfai.