Question 8
ComprehensionJAMB 1997 Passage II: Theatre in Africa
Theatre in the recent past used to be a very popular art in traditional African society. It used to be a point of intersection where members of the community not only come to entertain themselves, but 'join heads together'. In the traditional context of African drama therefore, theatre was a popular and respectable institution which preserved the people's culture and tradition. Theatre was popular with the people because it emphasized community participation, peace and progress. The presentations focused on the people's lives, their aspirations, fears and hopes. But today, the situation is different. Theatre is becoming very unpopular.
Africa of the present age is pre-occupied with many problems yearning for immediate solutions. The continent is facing hydra-headed challenges — challenges on the political, social and economic scenes. In a world where science and technology are seen as the solutions to these problems, little attention is paid to the arts. Literature generally, and drama in particular, is often rated very low on the utility scale. Many in Africa today look at drama and theatre as a mere thing of fun, a joke so to say.
Elitism is another barrier that militates against the appreciation of theatre as a communal art. Folk theatre is appreciated by a negligible number of people. Contemporary focus is on literary theatre. Unfortunately, literary theatre only pretends to serve the interest of its society while in reality it has a foreign audience in mind. The use of European and American theatrical conventions by our academic playwrights can bear witness to this anomaly.
The popularity of the literary African theatre is further marred by the medium of communication as most literary dramas in Africa are written in foreign languages which are not understood by many Africans. The question often asked is whether the artist should climb down to the level of his community or stay at his exalted height and wait for the community to gradually move up to him.
Africa of the present age is pre-occupied with many problems yearning for immediate solutions. The continent is facing hydra-headed challenges — challenges on the political, social and economic scenes. In a world where science and technology are seen as the solutions to these problems, little attention is paid to the arts. Literature generally, and drama in particular, is often rated very low on the utility scale. Many in Africa today look at drama and theatre as a mere thing of fun, a joke so to say.
Elitism is another barrier that militates against the appreciation of theatre as a communal art. Folk theatre is appreciated by a negligible number of people. Contemporary focus is on literary theatre. Unfortunately, literary theatre only pretends to serve the interest of its society while in reality it has a foreign audience in mind. The use of European and American theatrical conventions by our academic playwrights can bear witness to this anomaly.
The popularity of the literary African theatre is further marred by the medium of communication as most literary dramas in Africa are written in foreign languages which are not understood by many Africans. The question often asked is whether the artist should climb down to the level of his community or stay at his exalted height and wait for the community to gradually move up to him.
In the passage the terms 'theatre' and 'drama' are used
- A.differently
- B.concurrently
- C.interchangeably
- D.sparingly
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C (interchangeably)
Explanation
The writer switches between 'theatre' and 'drama' for the same thing, so they are used interchangeably.