INTRODUCTION FOR DRAMA AND POETRY
Prof. Clement Chinkambako Abenguuni Majawa has also written over twenty classic and popular plays with variety of themes based on African philosophy, spirituality, morality, praxis and worldview; and also on Christian wisdom. They are meant to unveil, teach, appraise, entertain, re-align and preserve the African holistic cultural values of Africana Humana. The plays with Christian or religious orientation envision to teach, enrich and re-rout the Gospel message for personal transformation, deeper evangelization and holistic development in Africa and global contexts. Majawa has written many empowering and uplifting constructive and reconstructive Plays, Poems, Proverbs and Traditional orality for diversity and inclusive of peoples. His Christian philosophy, plays, poetry, proverbs and drama have given a good springboard for adding quality mission of life and adding more diversity to people in Africa and beyond.
Many of these plays were performed in Malawi for Association of Teaching English in Malawi (ATEM). Some won ATEM Secondary School Awards for Pius XII Minor Seminary (Chiradzulu District); St. Patrick’s Catholic Secondary School (Chiradzulu); Henry Henderson Institute -HHI (Blantyre District); Lunzu Government Secondary School (Blantyre District); Providence Girls Catholic Secondary School (Mulanje District); Some plays were performed at St. Anthony’s Major Seminary – Kachebere; St. Peter’s Senior seminary – Zomba, Chancellor College – University of Malawi, Zomba in Malawi. (They were written between1984-2012). Worthy mentioning is that a a few selected poems and plays were performed and dramatized in Zambia, Kenya and Canada
Drama is a statutory part of English Course in the National Curriculum for Malawi as in some African countries like Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Plays, Drama and Oral traditions improve, the clarity of thought, verbal and actions; they improve the Learning, the Written, the Business, the Spoken, Entertaining, and the Experiential Language in the schools and in life.
All students, learners and pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Students should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They should have opportunities to write, re-write, improvise, devise, revise, and script drama for one another, for the community, for other institutions and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama excellence and theatre performances. These dramatic experiences play a major role in making English language have informative, formative and transformative impact of the learners, the teachers, the schools and the society at large. Research reveals that Schools and institutions with Fine performing arts-integrated programs like languages, etc. even in low-income areas, report high academic achievement. Thus, there is an intrinsic academic transformative correlation between Drama involvement and Academic achievement
The Alliance for Education and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1985 Observed, “The future of every nation depends on its holistic ability to create-and to be creative. During the coming third millennium, our most important national resources will be human resources. If a nation is to continue to meet the challenges of the future, today’s schools need to develop creative leaders. “Holistic education in Drama, Theater, Fine-Arts, Poetry and Oral Wisdom in schools is foundational to making and producing transformative and creative leaders and citizens of a nature. Commenting on the importance of Dramatization of plays in schools, the Chinese classic wisdom say: “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember, Involve me in drama and acting and I will understand”.
Mark Ducanan (1985) makes an interesting observation why Drama, Poetry and Orality should form essential part of curriculum institutions of learning. He explicates that Play or Poetic writing, Play Production and Dramatic Fine Performing Arts Education is an important means of stimulating HOLISTIC EDUCATION, ETHICAL INTEGRITY, SOCIETAL ENTERTAINMENT AND CREATIVITY IN PROBLEM SOLVING. It can CHALLENGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS about their world and about themselves. Dramatic exploration can provide students and learner’s with an outlet for reasoning, emotions, thoughts, and dreams that they might not otherwise have means to express. A student can, if only for a few moments, BECOME ANOTHER, explore a new role, try out and experiment with various personal choices and solutions to very real problems-problems from their own life, or problems faced by characters in literature or historical figures. This can happen in a SAFE ATMOSPHERE, where actions and consequences can be examined, discussed, and in a very real sense EXPERIENCED without the dangers and pitfalls that such experimentation would obviously lead to in the “real” world. This is perhaps the most important reason for Dramatic Arts and Oral Traditions in schools. (https://www.childdrama.com/why.html accessed 07/03/2020)
Thus, from the aforementioned philosophy and practice of Play-writing, Poetry and Drama, it is clear that there is far more that Drama and Oral wisdom can do to the individual, the institution and the community. At the center of all Drama is COMMUNICATION. Like all the arts, Drama allows students to communicate with and understand others in new ways. Perhaps more than any other art form, Drama also provides training in the very PRACTICAL aspects of communication so necessary in today’s increasingly information-centered world. Students who have participated in Dramatic activities are less likely to have difficulty SPEAKING IN PUBLIC, will be more PERSUASIVE in their communications, both written and oral, will be better able to put themselves into others’ shoes and relate to them, and will have a more POSITIVE, CONFIDENT SELF IMAGE. Participation in Dramatic activity requires SELF CONTROL and DISCIPLINE that will serve the student well in all aspects of life. Students in Drama will learn to WORK TOGETHER, to cooperate, to find the best way for each member of a group to contribute, and to listen to and accept the viewpoints and contributions of others. NO ART FORM IS MORE TRULY COLLABORATIVE. Drama is an important tool for preparing students to live and work in a world that is increasingly TEAM-ORIENTED OR COMMUNITARIAN OR FAMILIAL OR COLLABORATIVE rather than hierarchical or dictatorial experiences in life.
20 AIMS AND OBJECTIVITY OF DRAMA / POERTY / PLAYS / FINE-ARTS
PLAYS, DRAMA, POERTY and FINE-PERFOTMING ARTS are academic and civic foundational and socio-religious treasure in every society. Poetry and Drama Education is divided into the following AIMS leading to holistic life and transformative progress in life.
(1).Self-Confidence: Taking risks and performing for an audience/ society. teaches students are to trust their ideas and abilities. The confidence gained in drama and theater applies to school, institutions, university, careers, and life in general.
(2).Imagination and Creativity: Making creative choices, thinking of new ideas, and interpreting familiar material in new ways are essential to drama. Einstein said: ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge’.
(3).Empathy / Flexibility / Tolerance: Acting roles from different situations, time periods, and cultures promotes compassion and tolerance for others’ feelings and viewpoints.
(4).Cooperation / Collaboration / Communality/ team-building: Theatre and Drama combines the creative ideas and abilities of its participants. This cooperative process includes discussing, negotiating, rehearsing, correcting and performing.
(5). Concentration Skills and Dramatic Discernment: Drama enhances verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas. It improves voice projection, articulation of words, fluency with language, and persuasive speech. Listening and observation skills develop by playing drama games, being an audience, rehearsing, and performing.
(6).Concentration and Focus: Playing, dramatization, practicing, and performing develop a sustained focus of mind, body, and voice, which also helps in other subjects and courses, and, again, life in general.
(7). Problem solving and Critical analysis: In drama, plays and poetry learners, students and people learn how to communicate the who, what, where, and why to the audience. Improvisation fosters quick-thinking solutions, which leads to greater adaptability in life.
(8). Entertainment / Fun / Pleasure and Enjoyment: Drama brings play, humor, and laughter to learning; this improves motivation and reduces stress.
(9).Emotional Outlet / Stress Outlet: Pretend play and drama games allow students to express a range of emotions. Aggression and tension are released in a safe, controlled environment, reducing antisocial behaviors.
(10).Relaxation / Good Time: Many drama activities reduce stress by releasing mental, physical, and emotional tension.
(11). Self-discipline / Self-control: The process of moving from ideas to actions to performances teaches the value of practice and perseverance. Drama games and creative movement improve self-control.
(12).Trust / Believe in others / Shared responsibility / Team-building and Risk taking: The social interaction and risk taking in drama develop trust in self, others, and the process.
(13). Physical Fitness and mobility: Movement, song and dance in drama and plays improves flexibility, coordination, balance, respiratory system and control.
(14). Memory, reasoning and recalling power Rehearsing and performing words, movements, and cues strengthens this skill like a muscle.
(15). Social Awareness and communitarian mutuality: Legends, myths, poems, stories, and plays used in drama teach learners, students and institutions about social issues and conflicts from cultures – past and present – all over the world.
(16). Aesthetic Appreciation: Participating in and viewing theatre raises the appreciation for the art form. It is important to raise a generation that understands, values, and supports a theatre’s place in society.
(17). Enhancement of Personal Development, Confidence and Self-esteem: Drama Education doesn’t just boost the learner’s or students’ confidence. It develops their personal presentation, communication skills, and makes them stronger and persuasive people. It also improves their academic performances and social communality. Fine-performing Arts and Drama Education is therefore essential for more good scores, higher grades and successful life.
(18). Unique Knowledge in Paidea and Cosmotheandrian knowledge: Drama, Plays and Poetry creates a roadmap for learning and experiencing diversity of wisdom from diversity of people. They help to learn about philosophical, ideological, cultural, religious, societal and political perspectives that different arts work represent (all Drama is drawn from all world perspective – from the Ancient Africa, Egyptian, Roman, Mesopotamian, Indo-Chinese; all cultures and religions which are essentially good because they were created by God. The learners and students are introduced to the ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Asian, Jewish, Shakespearean theratres.
.(19) Appreciation and Preservation of Culture: Drama, Plays and Poetry lay a major role of articulating and re-aligning the socio-cultural and religious values and practice with contemporary times so as to preserve the cultural worldview for future generation.
(20).Learning and Inspiration from Religious and Christian Philosophy and Life: Drama and Plays introduces students and learners to other wisdoms, integrity and practice of life. They know and have confidence with other religious, Jewish Islam and Christian teaching, spirituality, morality and witness of life.
FINITUDE
Without culture, true life dies. The culture which is manifested through oral philosophy, indigenous religions, traditional plays and drama have a significant role of teaching, values road-mapping and preservation of culture. A careful research study and analysis of African wisdom, proverbs, plays and dram shows that they are based on human wisdom, socio-religious acumen and observations of the things of Nature. The main figures in these proverbs and drama are Christian life and discipline; human beings, animals, nature itself, and the spirit world. It is interesting to observe that these poems, proverbs and drama relate mostly to abstract issues (religion, death, laziness, envy, love, power, wealth, poverty, strength, weakness, mood, etc.) that constitute the foundation of the mindset of the people.
The plays, drama proverbs are intended to teach lessons – either to praise, to condemn, to exhort,,to persuade or to dissuade action. Some are meant to serve as a teaching, or warning, advice, admonition, curse, or blessing. Others explicate that the real import of these plays, drama, poems and proverbs can be appreciated and understood better if heard in the original languages in which they were written, developed and couched. Translating them into another language (especially, English, French, Spanish, etc. which may not have the appropriate linguistic resources with which to convey the nuances) means a loss of these nuances. To adequately represent the notions inherent in the original constructions of the proverbs means using the language of owners of the proverbs. To live is to re-live and dramatize life for the glory of God.