Representation(S) of Women in Kenyan Drama :A Study of Selected Kenyan Dramas.

Abstract

This paper examines the dramaturgies used in the representation of the female gender in Kenyan drama. The study stemmed from the need to interrogate how Kenyan playwrights represent women in drama as one way of demonstrating women’s empowerment in society. It examined Denis Kyalo’s The Hunter is Back (2010),Njoki Gitumbi’s A New Dawn (2012).On methodology, the researcher adopted a qualitative research design. The two plays were purposively sampled. A textual exegesis was conducted from a close-reading and content analysis as its method of data collection and analysis. Primary texts were read to provide data for analysis supported by secondary sources. The study leaned on Feminist literary theories, particularly gynocritism and Gayatri Spivak’s view on subalternity and how subaltern experiences diminish the position of women in society. Postcolonial theories, particularly by Edward Said and Homi K Bhabha, were also used to explore issues and challenges of female re-presentation.