Symbolism in the drama of John m. Ruganda.

Abstract

This study begins with a personal literary biography of the playwright, John M. Ruganda. It is established that his dramatic style is dominated by symbolism, and that his symbols are mainly derived from African folklore, political events and inter-personal relationships. After an over-view of the position held by various scholars on the definition of "symbol" and its use - symbolism, our study proceeds into a systematic analysis of Rugandan symbolism, starting with those that specifically emanate from folklore. Within this analysis is a discussion of the metamorphosis of folklore materials when these are used in the creation of plays. An evaluation is made of the effectiveness of this technique with distinction being made where the folklore item forms the back-bone of the play, and where the items are used within the plays. The study also examines the symbolic character types emergent in the works under four broad divisions: the politician, the intellectual, the woman and the common man. The development in the portrayal of each of these groups is traced from the earlier plays to the more recent ones. We discuss Ruganda's changing attitude towards these groups, and his. social vision, judging from his choice of facilitators of social change. In an evaluation of the effectiveness of folklore in communicating Ruganda's ideas, our study highlights the potential that folklore has for the future creation of literary texts. This study sets out to assess Ruganda's contribution to East African and African literature by highlighting the grandeur of his work