Transitory and transversal theatre

Abstract

In contemporary theatre, we can witness an increasing number of plays dealing with the hidden face of immigration. This is especially the case for authors from sub-Saharan Africa whose plays are written in French. A new theatrical wave asserts itself with authors such as Léandre-Alain Baker, Kossi Efoui, Koulsy Lamko, Rodrigue Yao Norman or José Pliya who offer in their texts the metaphysical reflections on immigration and existential questions not only on the position of the immigrant in the "supermodern" world but also on that of the contemporary men. But what is the migratory experience? How to grasp the experience of individuals who migrate? The quest for oneself and the other is at the heart of African theatre in the last decade, perhaps it is its fundamental subject. The state of suspension as well as the theme of inarticulate experience characterize the framework of contemporary theatre in sub-Saharan Africa. Being a space of representation, the theatre is undoubtedly given as the privileged place of this interrogation of oneself where the transitory position contributes to creating a particular African dramaturgy.

Keywords

• the contemporary drama
• the African drama
• immigration
• Léandre-Alain Baker
• Rodrigue Yao Norman
• Kossi Efoui