Unmasking the monster: using contemporary performance to deconstruct Ga cultural myths that silence the self
Date
2010-11-29
Authors
Anang, George Adjetey
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Abstract
This study explores how contemporary performance, through a practice led process, can shift
the consciousness of entrenched Ga cultural myths that silence the self. In doing so, this study
attempts to reveal how cultural mythology plays an integral part in why the Ga people continue
to make illness invisible even in the face of the growing crisis of HIV/Aids in Ghana. The study
argues that continued silence rather worsens the condition of the victims, and posits that
breaking the oppressive silence through contemporary performance’s deconstruction of
cultural mythology offers a chance of liberation.
This study employs qualitative research methodology within a practice as research paradigm
and is achieved through a collaborative practice as research performance process. The
performance process draws upon the personal experiences of the collaborators who use
stories, games, dances and masks that emanate from the collaborators’ respective cultures in
Ghana. The research data comprises photographs, journaling and informal dialogue. It also
consists of interpreting phenomena brought to bear on the process. This research places
emphasis on the process of exploration as opposed to a final product.
In Chapter One the reader is introduced to the history and journey of the self. Chapter Two
focuses on the theoretical underpinnings of this research while Chapter Three, an exploration
of methodology, demonstrates how elements of the creative process form the base of
contemporary performance. Finally, in Chapter Four the researcher draws a number of
conclusions based on the outcome of the process oriented performance.
This study concludes that the contemporary performance processes offer a constructive
alternative towards inciting a shift in the consciousness of Ga cultural myths, without
disregarding the ingenious indigenous knowledge of the Ga community. It also shows how the
process of contemporary performance can become a means of self-development and change.
The study demonstrates how in the midst of the constraints and fear that cultivate silence,
often promulgated by the Ga communal ideal, the individual can still discover and give
expression to his/her unique voice.
Description
MA Dramatic Art, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand
Keywords
Ga cultural myths, performance, change, self-development