Dialectics and Dynamics of Religion in Theatre: Reflections on Gender and Sexuality in Selected Zimbabwean Theatrical Performances

Abstract

This article problematises, contextualises and interprets the complex and dynamic relationship between Christianity and the African traditional religion as it is reflected in Zimbabwean theatre. The focus lies on the construction of images and symbols relating to gender and sexuality in two selected theatrical performances from Innocent Dube and Daniel Maphosa respectively. The analysis proceeds from the position that a performance is an ideological transaction between the performers and the audience. Three major observations emerge from the investigation. First, religious symbols, rituals and values seem to influence the construction of images of masculinities and femininities, even in plays which appear “hostile” to religion. Second, these theatrical performances are characterized by a religious dialectic in the sense that they are a hybrid of traditional African worship systems and Christian doctrines and practices. Third, such theatrical constructions of gender and sexuality reflect the apparent tension between social-political liberation and moral principles and practices which are rooted in religious doctrines and ideologies such as patriarchy. Consequently, the major question pursued in this study is: What are the implications of such theatrical constructions in feminist and other liberatory or transformational discourses? In the final analysis, it is submitted that theatrical practices can be a strategic arena to explore the complexity and dynamism of religious thought and practices in the historical context under study.