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Cockroach in the Bath-Tub: Globalisation and the Trope of the Absurd
(Faculty of Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, 2004) Adeoti, Gbemisola Aderemi
Using insights from dramatic literature, the paper seeks to enhance our perception of the ideals of globalisation vis-a-vis postcolonial African States. This is done through a fresh reading of Al hakim's Fate of a Cockroach, a play written from the perspective of the theatre of the absurd. Indeed from the suggestive nature of this theatrical approach, we can realise its relevance to our reflections on globalisation. What kind of philosophical and artistic temper does the theatre of the absurd articulate? What are the links between the dominant thought that inspired this theatrical approach in the 20th century and the current phenomenon of globalisation? What critical insights can we draw from the absurdist aesthetics toward the illumination of the new global order? What are the concrete lessons derivable from the textual exposition of the chosen play for contemporary Africa? What is Africa's contribution to and benefit from the "villagisation" of the globe? These are some of the pertinent questions that the paper addresses.