From Hornby (2015), déjà vu as a distinct pattern of human emotion is a psychological frame of mind or feeling that makes a person to dwell or live absolutely on the past memories of unpleasant or bitter experiences. When characters in literary texts exhibit a behavior of emotional representation of mismatching the present situation with the mistake of the past, it will create an aura of loneliness, dejection, indifference and self-perceived marginalization. How Ahmed Yerima, an African playwright connects feminism with déjà vu to portray prevalent and persistent knotty issues of disillusionment and marginalization shall be explored artistically.
Having highlighted the centrality of déjà vu as emotional material in conceptual perspective, it
…show more content…
Thus, déjà vu mirrors the possibilities of gradual realities that are derivable from the unconscious emotional feeling and impression. A very vital observation from these scholarly postulations is that déjà vu is a sensory signal in human being, as it allows the affected to integrate his or her thoughts, to regulate his or her mood and to control or heighten emotions from distressing experiences. Déjà vu, therefore, is an unconscious emotion or feeling whose operation and manifestation creep from the level of unconsciousness to …show more content…
Scholarly engagements on African historical plays have revealed how playwrights of different ages have responded differently to historical materials available to them, whether they are factual or mythical. While some have tried not to deviate from course of history, other have consciously ‘forced’ on their material, their artistic vision. Asein (1991) and Ogude (1991) see the use of historical materials in plays, especially in the plays that deal with the cruel pangs of colonialism on Africans as an idea of reopening a healed wound. This view fails to appreciate the heroic resistance of the African monarchs to the British imperialists. This is not sacrosanct since not all African historical plays dwell on colonialism. Jegede (2007), Yerima (2007), Asagba (2004) and Adeoti (2009) opine that historical plays are engaged in order to celebrate and propagate cultural dignity and grandeur. This view is apt because it illustrates the importance of cultural hermeneutics and concepts. Although, there might be celebratory undertones in historical plays, yet their instructiveness to the society cannot be ignored. In another vein, Yerima (2009), Wilson (2005) and Haney (2006) see history-drama nexus as an enterprise for tragedy. This position implies that African historical plays are companion of tragedy and disillusionment. To buttress Yerima, Wilson and
In the first segment of his film series, Different but Equal, Basil Davidson sets out to disprove the fictitious and degrading assumptions about African civilization made by various Western scholars and explorers. Whether it is the notion that Africans are “savage and crude in nature” or the presumed inability of Africans to advance technologically, these stereotypes are damaging to the image and history of Africa. Although European Renaissance art depicts the races of white and black in equal dignity, there was a drastic shift of European attitudes toward Africa that placed Africans in a much lower standing than people of any other culture. The continent of Africa quickly became ravished by the inhuman slave trade and any traditional civilization
Repressed memories is a topic that has been an ongoing dispute among some, however ac...
Angeles, Los. (2009). African arts. Volume 28. Published by African Studies Center, University of California.
To show how stories can affect colonialism, we will be looking at British authors during the time of colonialism. During this period of British colonialism, writers like Joyce Cary, author of “Mister Johnson” wrote novels about Africa and more specifically, a Nigerian named Johnson. Johnson in this novel is represented as “[an] infuriating principal character”. In Mr. Cary’s novel he demeans the people of Africa with hatred and mockery, even describing them as “unhuman, like twisted bags of lard, or burst bladders”. Even though Cary’s novel displayed large amounts of racism and bigotry, it received even larger amounts of praise, even from Time Magazine in October 20, 1952. The ability to write a hateful novel and still receive praise for it is what Chinua Achebe likes to describe as “absolute power over narrative [and...
People of all varieties in all parts of the world have reported experiencing déjà vu. According to Art Funkhouser, creator of the Déjà Experience Research website, a variety of people, young and old, both within and outside the U.S.A. have sent him unsolicited accounts of their déjà experiences (Funkhouser, 2014). On his website, he posts these firsthand narratives as a resource for other researchers and so that visitors who have experienced the phenomena may parallel their own accounts with those reported to him. He provides a page where visitors can submit their encounter with déjà vu to augment the rapidly expanding database. The following accounts are extracted from his website and have been condensed for brevity. The first account is from M. of the U.S.A. M. relates that he vividly remembers how he feels when déjà vu starts and that it always combines the place and the actions he takes and that everything and everyone around him is involved. M. says, “All of a sudden I freeze ¬ and the feeling comes over me and I realize I¹ve done and seen and heard ...
It is human nature to tell stories and to appreciate and participate in theatre traditions in every society. Every culture expresses theatre and may have their own traditions that have helped pave the way for how they are today. The involvement of African-Americans has increased tremendously in theatre since the nineteenth century and continues to increase as time goes on. African-Americans have overcome many obstacles with getting their rights and the participation and involvement of Theatre was something also worth fighting for. American history has played an important role with the participation of African-Americans in theatre. Slavery occurrence in America made it difficult for blacks in America to be taken seriously and to take on the characters of more serious roles. With many obstacles in the way African-Americans fought for their rights and also for the freedom that they deserved in America. As the participation of African-Americans involvement within the theatre increase so do the movements in which help make this possible. It is the determination of these leaders, groups, and Theaters that helped increase the participation and created the success that African-Americans received throughout history in American Theatre.
To pin these works against the idea of colonization, Cesaire and Hwang must greatly alter the content. They do so, but they also mimic the styles of the original versions. A Tempest is written in modern English, and Shakespeare's songs are substituted with slave tunes. Hwang dr...
often reappear in the persons mind when some event in the present triggers a familiarity with the past event
While Collins does a succinct job of examining the economic and political factors that heightened colonization, he fails to hone in on the mental warfare that was an essential tool in creating African division and ultimately European conquest. Not only was the systematic dehumanization tactics crippling for the African society, but also, the system of racial hierarchy created the division essential for European success. The spillover effects of colonialism imparted detrimental affects on the African psyche, ultimately causing many, like Shanu, to, “become victims to the white man’s greed.”
It has happened to me and it has probably happened to you. It is sudden and quick, leaving you as unexpectedly as it came. While the experience is clear and detailed it is often difficult to recapture. After feeling it, you usually find yourself saying, " Wow, I just had the strangest deja-vu." Through research I have become knowledgeable of interesting facts and causes behind deja vu. Because it is still a puzzling ongoing phenomenon, I hope to give you (my audience) a better understanding of the deja-vu experience. In the next few minutes, we will take a closer look at different facts of deja vu and 3 probable causes of this strange feeling: the brains memory, the influence of DNA, and the possibility of Reincarnation.
The Tempest, by Shakespeare, offers the reader a variety of themes. The one theme that stands out the most is that of colonialism. During the time of Shakespeare, many European countries such as Spain, France, and England, were expanding their borders by taking over less developed countries, referred to as colonies. During this time of exploitation, there was skepticism concerning the possible success of the colonies. While some scholars believe that the play is about the Americas, I argue that the play reflects on colonialism in general and how it is destined for failure which is shown through the character’s relationships throughout the play.
Davidson, Basil. Modern Africa A Social and Political History. Ney York: Longman Group UK Limited, 1983.
The character of literary forms always evolves with the passage of times. Although African literature in its written form (as against the traditional oral form) has a relatively short pedigree, it has not failed to constantly renew itself by evolving, principally in its social functionality, either as an avenue to demonstrate a cultural point of view or a satirical vista. Consequently, this attribute is responsible for the peculiar aesthetics that particularizes the literature.
As the roles were essentially cemented into the culture, manipulations such as crossovers provide a source of conflict and intrigue into the narrative of the plays. Two of Shakespea...
Having done the above analysis on my favourite text, “Anowa” by Ama Ataa Aidoo, I realise that my like for the text have heightened because the analysis of Anowa has given me a deeper understanding of Africa’s colonialism. I now know what actually led to our colonialisation (the betrayal) and how it began(the bond of 1844) through the personal lives of Anowa and Kofi.