Nuptials of the gods: Zulu Sofola and Zodwa Motsa compared

Abstract

This article compares the works of Zulu Sofola and Zodwa Motsa, two playwrights who have written about the tribulations of the oppressed in the African society. One of the roles played by playwrights in society is that of a documentarist. In their plays, Wedlock of the gods and Of Heroes and Men, both playwrights have presented a documentation of Southern Nigeria and Swaziland of the colonial and early postcolonial period respectively. We discuss how both plays negotiate the relationship between the state and society, scrutinizing the protean and dynamic aspects of human nature as presented by the playwrights in the lives of the governor and the governed. The article posits that Zulu Sofola and Zodwa Motsa have, through their plays, examined the structures of the society, which promote oppression. They unequivocally stated that carnivorous traditions, undemocratic dictatorships and oppressive patriarchal structures should be demolished to give a new lease of life to the oppressed and to create an egalitarian society.

Lwati: A Journal of Contemporary Research Vol. 2 2005: 43-52