Zerihun Birehanu Sira

Ethiopian Theatre: Ideas on Modernity and Nation Building Zerihun Birehanu Sira

?One day I received an invitation letter from Ato Hiruy, the mayor of Addis Ababa to watch a theatre. I went eagerly and in a hurry to see how they had managed to stage the performance. What I saw was a band of singers and dancers singing and dancing accompanied by a drum, masinko, and krar. I realized the need to straighten up such leadership.? (p.51) after this ?tragic? experience, the first Ethiopian theatre was born. For the last hundred years, it was lined up after the first play. Nowadays, Ethiopian theatre audiences are questioning the legitimacy of Ethiopian theatre being ?Ethiopian?. In order to scrutinize the problem, this book traced back to the historical beginning of Ethiopian theatre and showed how the early theatres were influenced and shaped by the ideas of ?modernity? and the process of nation formation in the country. By giving a social, political and artistic account on history of the beginning of the 20th century Ethiopia, the book argued that the trend of the theatre should be scrutinized. For all professionals, lecturers and students who want to explore about Ethiopian theatre, as a pioneer print, this book sheds a major light on the study of Ethiopian theatre