Title: Reconstructing History Through Drama: A New Historicist Study Of Modern African Plays
Authors: Oseni Adijat Tunrayo
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Pages: 210-218
Publication Date: 2026/07/28
Abstract:
This study explores the reconstruction of history in modern African drama through the theoretical framework of New Historicism. African playwrights have consistently employed drama as a medium for revisiting historical events, interrogating political structures, and preserving cultural memory within postcolonial African societies. The paper argues that modern African plays are not merely artistic expressions but significant historical and ideological texts that engage with the socio-political realities of their time. Drawing on the ideas of Stephen Greenblatt and other New Historicist scholars, the study examines the interconnectedness between literary texts and historical contexts. Using qualitative textual analysis, selected plays by prominent African dramatists such as Wole Soyinka, Femi Osofisan, and Athol Fugard are critically analysed to demonstrate how drama reconstructs colonial experiences, political oppression, cultural conflicts, and resistance movements in Africa. The findings reveal that modern African drama serves as a powerful instrument for historical reinterpretation, ideological resistance, and socio-political consciousness. The study concludes that New Historicism offers an effective framework for understanding the complex relationship between literature and historical reality in African dramatic traditions, while also reaffirming the significance of drama as both a literary and historical discourse in contemporary Africa.