Acting and Identity in Sizwe Banzi is Dead and in Death and the King's Horseman

Thesis Statement: Apartheid may have been a horrible era in South African history, but only so because the whites were forced to take action against the outrageous and threatening deeds of the blacks in order to sustain their power.

This limitation was important because the Blacks felt pushed out and they started to go to with each other and became more social with each other, they started to rebel.

In the late 1800’s, a series of racial policies went into effect known as the Jim Crow Laws. These laws enforced separate but equal treatment among African Americans and Whites. Established by the use of separate facilities such as, schools, hotels, restaurants, restrooms and transportation, many of us know and understand Jim Crow Laws by one word, “Segregation”. Jim Crow Laws were upheld by the government during the Plessy vs. Ferguson case and were cemented through acts of terror by the people who opposed. Although slavery had been abolished, African Americans were still stripped of their civil rights, which is intended to protect citizens from discrimination by the government and people.

The “separate but equal” doctrine was quickly extended to cover many areas of public life and encouraged many states to legally regulate all African Americans to an inferior status by enacting strict laws that were passed to forcibly separate blacks from whites in every sector of society including education, restrooms, hotels public transportation, sports, hospitals, prisons, and even cemeteries.

someone the right to vote based on race). Both groups led to the demise of reconstruction,

Segregation emerged and it wasn’t until a century after that segregation was starting to be dealt with. Segregation prohibited African Americans to enter specific facilities, public places, and restaurants. Segregation caused an immense amount of violence towards African Americans, where African Americans were lynched the night prior to voting day in Mississippi, so that they wouldn’t be able to vote. Segregation made a significant mental change on African American individuals. There were African Americans who had given up on the removal of segregation and accepted that they lived in a society where they were to be belittled and treated as unequal. There were those whom were in the middle class that saw segregation as an opportunity to profit because of economical and educational security. Finally, there were those who grew tired of oppression and advocated towards violence due to their hatred and bitterness of the white race. In my opinion none of these were the right ways to approach segregation. The African American race should have always looked for ways to demolish segregation. A way that would catch people’s attention and yet keep them safe. Direct Action was the correct way to approach segregation. It caught the public’s attention, as well as made the government deal with the issue and still kept people

Which was the idea of separate but equal status for blacks. This made it legal to have white only and black only public schools, public places, restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains. This caused more racism in the country which led to more violence and the rebirth of the Klu Klux Klan in

Throughout history there have been many individuals that changed the course of social, economic and public systems for people across Canada and the United States. Segregation has been a long standing issue affecting African American individuals. Segregation is “the institutional separation of an ethnic, racial, religious, or other minority group from the dominant majority.” (Dictionary.com, 2005).

What do we think about when we think segregation? The first thing we’re most likely to think is schools, parks and stores right? Well it was more than that, segregation affected communities and even libraries and restaurants. Imagine it’s pre-1954, and you’re a black student walking to school. You see the bus pass but it doesn’t even drive as far as you have to walk, the kids get out and go into their heated and stable school while you think to yourself “how come our school isn’t that nice?” This was the whole idea in the

For many years there was a lot of separation between whites and blacks, that is also known as segregation.

Nearly every character in the play at some point has to make inferences from what he or she sees, has been told or overhears. Likewise, nearly every character in the play at some point plays a part of consciously pretending to be what they are not. The idea of acting and the illusion it creates is rarely far from the surface -

The drama “Death and the King’s Horseman” written by Wole Soyinka tells a story that relates to the burial of the dead king of the Oyo, which is held by the ancient Yoruba in Africa. According to the tradition of the Yoruba, after thirty-day of the king’s death, his horseman Elesin must commit suicide in the rite in order to accompany the king passing through the holy passage towards

Many of the contemporary issues in South Africa can easily be associated with the apartheid laws which devastated the country. The people of South Africa struggle day by day to reverse “the most cruel, yet well-crafted,” horrific tactic “of social engineering.” The concept behind apartheid emerged in 1948 when the nationalist party took over government, and the all-white government enforced “racial segregation under a system of legislation” . The central issues stem from 50 years of apartheid include poverty, income inequality, land ownership rates and many other long term affects that still plague the brunt of the South African population while the small white minority still enjoy much of the wealth, most of the land and opportunities

Elesin is supposed to commit spiritual suicide by means of dance and music with the assistance of the Praise Singer, the drummers and the women who sing a dirge. Elesin is going to undergo a trance in which he will quietly kill himself. The Praise Singer helps him on:

Death and the King’s Horseman by Wole Soyinka establishes a strong sense of community from the beginning of the play. Elesin, the horseman, is going to commit a ritualistic suicide in order to lead the king into the afterlife. According to Yoruban culture the entire world is interconnected and every action has an impact on everything. This is why the entire community is very attentive to the ritual that is going to happen. Elesin’s suicide is a communal act not a personal one. His actions will affect everyone, dead or alive, which demonstrates how connected the community is. In the story, we are continuously shown that the colonist see suicide as a personal experience and cannot understand the community’s ritual. This is clearly shown when Olunde tells Jane Pilkings, “you have no respect for what you do not understand” (Soyinka, Wole). Olunde is also a clear representation of a strong sense of community within the play because he has studied in England, but maintains his