{"product_id":"9781350558267","title":"Anansegoro Ghana’s National Theatre","description":"\u003ch3\u003eForms of Drama\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eAnansegoro\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGhana’s National Theatre\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eStephen Collins | Nii Kwartelai Quartey | Simon Shepherd\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerforming Arts \/ Theater \/ History \u0026amp; Criticism\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis volume examines the unique form of postcolonial Ghanaian theatre Anansegoro, ranging from its 1960s origins to its new significance as an example of the intersection between performance, intangible cultural heritage and copyright law.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDeveloped in the 1960s by Efua Sutherland and her collaborators as a new theatre for a newly independent nation, Anansegoro draws directly from the precolonial form of village storytelling, \u003ci\u003eAnansesem\u003c\/i\u003e(stories about Ananse, the spider god). Sutherland merged these village storytelling traditions with Western theatrical practices, resulting in a distinctly Ghanaian performance style and a canon of play texts for the modern stage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSupplemented by an historical overview of playwrighting in Ghana from 1916, this volume explores the impact of Anansegoro and how successive figures including Ama Ata Aidoo and Yaw Asare continued, stretched and developed the form. A comparison study of Abibigoro, a theatrical form established by Mohammed ben Abdallah in the 1980s is also provided to deepen the reader's holistic understanding of the contemporary Ghanaian dramaturgical landscape. Uniquely, the authors analyze how the introduction of the 2005 Ghana Copyright Act, which protects Ghana's folklore from commercial use, has jeopardised the continuation of Anansegoro in the 21st century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStephen Collins \u003c\/b\u003eis Reader in Performance at the University of the West of Scotland. He teaches and researches across a broad area of performance, intangible cultural heritage, and law. He has been a student of Ghanaian theatre for over twenty years and has written both an MPhil and PhD on the subject. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNii Kwartelai Quarte\u003c\/b\u003ey is an independent scholar and theatre maker from Accra, Ghana. He is a founding member of Act for Change and the James Town Community Theatre Centre, Accra.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e10 December 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethuen Drama\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781350558267\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e192\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e17.76\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51669840035980,"sku":"9781350558267","price":81.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_7fd1b46b-48c2-4171-ad0b-f190ff3d74d0.jpg?v=1785204340","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9781350558267","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}