August Wilson’s Century Cycle: Preserving History and Honoring African Rituals Through the Proverb of the Sankofa

August Wilson’s Century Cycle has been studied by scholars as a documentation of the history of African Americans. His ten plays in that cycle use historical events to chronicle the African American experience in America during the twentieth-century. My examination of his plays focuses on connection between the characters in his story and their use of African ritual. I explore his treatment of African culture, tradition and rituals that are expressed in America. In my introduction I connect the plays of the Century Cycle to the Ghana Akan proverb of the Sankofa. The concept of the Sankofa teaches that one has to understand his past in order to progress into his future. Chapter 1 contains an overview of Wilson’s formative years and his influences. Chapter 2 shows the historical facts about the Middle Passage and the system of slavery demonstrated in Gem of the Ocean and The Piano Lesson. Chapter 3 demonstrates the effects of the Great Migration through the characters in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Chapter 4 illustrates the history of blues music that is present in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Seven Guitars. Chapter 5 covers the period of integration using the story of Fences. Chapter 6 studies the Black Power Movement as expressed through the characters in Two Trains Running. Finally, Chapter 7 covers the impact of gentrification in African-American communities as demonstrated in Radio Golf. In my conclusion I summarize the points I have demonstrated throughout this examination. I also connect my examples back to my original thesis statement which maintains that these plays document and preserve American history, while honoring African rituals through the Sankofa principle.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Theatre History (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Walker, Melonnie Nicole

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Londré, Felicia Hardison, 1941-

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/49326

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/49326