Ancestry or innate belief: The correlation between Yoruba culture and themes prevalent in contemporary plays by Black women.

摘要

This thesis reflects the research and study into both the Yoruba culture and themes prevalent in plays by Black women in America, written between the years of 1980 and 1999. Fifteen plays were examined for this study, including works by Ntozake Shange, Nubia Kai, and Suzan Lori-Parks, among others. Various aspects of Yoruba life are also examined, prominently the integration of arts in everyday life, womanhood (including motherhood, aje, and ancestors), religion (including the concept of ase, bird imagery, Yemoja, and duality), and independence.;This text is a brief summary of the research supporting the theory that there is, in fact, a direct correlation between the beliefs and practices of the traditional Yoruba people, and the ideas and themes presented in contemporary plays by Black women.