A double-edged sword: the question of power in the dramatic work of Abdulai Sila
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34624/fb.v0i21.41584Keywords:
Use an Abuse of Power, Guiné-Bissau since its Independence, Abdulai Sila, As orações de Mansata, Dois tiros e uma gargalhada, KangalutasAbstract
One of the central aspects of the myth of Antigone revolves around the question of who holds power and how it is used. This problem urgently manifests itself in the current situation in Guinea-Bissau, a country that has experienced a succession of 17 presidents and 32 prime ministers since its independence in 1974, along with at least six coups and counter-coups, to sum up, political instability mainly driven by personal vanity. It is well known that political power, despite not being inherently negative, carries the risk of becoming autonomous, inevitably seducing its holders to use it unscrupulously for purely private economic gain. In the first three plays of Guinean author Abdulai Sila, As orações de Mansata (2007), Dois tiros e uma gargalhada (2013), and Kangalutas (2018) the acquisition and use of power are crucial issues, demonstrating that the specific historical situation of Guinea-Bissau is perceived as the greatest problem of contemporary society. When it comes to ruling and enriching oneself, almost everyone ends up betraying the revolutionary ideals of the past. Thus, both As orações de Mansata and Dois tiros e uma gargalhada depict scoundrels fighting and slaughtering one
another to gain power. Fortunately, in both plays, these (self-)destructive tendencies are counterbalanced by a pronounced pragmatism that transcends political partisanship and ideological biases, a constellation that repeats itself with exclusively female protagonists and similar outcomes in Kangalutas. Sila recognises the issues of power abuse and acknowledges that the mechanisms governing this process are, on the one hand, human; however, on the other, they are not unavoidable. The three plays highlight the appropriate strategies for eschewing this deleterious effect, showcasing individuals who know how to resist the seductions of power. The wise elders, with their ancestral knowledge, and the younger generation, with their faith in a better future, can come together to overcome the immense problems that currently plague Guinean reality
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