Politics and theatre in Tanzania after the Arusha Declaration, 1967-1984

This thesis examines the practice of theatre in Tanzania after the Arusha Declaration of 1967, The Arusha Declaration as Tanzania's blueprint for socialist transformation ushered in an era in which economic and political attempts were made to direct the country towards Ujamaa and away from capitalist structures and development. The social reality of the period has been dominated by the articulation between the attempts for the socialist transformation and the historical political factors supporting or undermining the transformation. This thesis discusses contemporary Tanzanian theatre within the framework of the political events and social reality after 1967. There are six chapters in the thesis. Chapter 1 provides the historical background of contemporary Tanzanian theatre. It includes an examination of traditional theatre performances within and outside the colonial experience as well as the historical role of Kiswahili as a chosen language of theatre communication. Chapter 2 looks into the Arusha Declaration, its tenets, objectives, some aspects of its effects on social practices and the theoretical responses regarding the role of an art form such as theatre within Ujamaa. A discussion on the works of Tanzania's leading playwright, Ebrahim Hussein, is the concern of Chapter 3. Chapter 4 examines plays and performances by the other theatre practitioners of the period. Official policies and the practice of theatre in state institutions are described in Chapter 5 and the last Chapter covers the development of theatre for social development as well as the nature of theatre control and censorship in the period under investigation. What emerges from these discussions is theatre practice which has been greatly informed by the political events, attitudes, policies and available aesthetic vocabulary of the period. The material upon which the discussion in this thesis is based has been obtained from field research, interviews, questionnaires, archival sources, information from theatre practitioners and cultural activists as well as published plays and theatre material. It is hoped that the thesis provides an understanding of the development and practice of theatre within the specific political and social conditions such as Tanzania's since 1967.