Description
Book SynopsisStaging the Amistad collects for the first time plays about the
Amistad slave revolt by three of Sierra Leone’s most influential playwrights of the latter decades of the 20th century. Written and staged before and after the start of Sierra Leone’s decade-long conflict, they brought the
Amistad rebellion to public consciousness.
Trade Review“
Staging the Amistad adds intellectual power and freshness to the brilliant and interesting fiction coming out of Sierra Leone. Christensen handles complex, nuanced, and racially and ethnically charged subjects with care.”
“Collectively, these plays work to reinstate the rebel leader Sengbe Pieh as an historical hero, and in doing so, they redress cultural amnesia about this astonishing historical triumph. Christensen’s immensely valuable introduction contextualizes the three scripts, particularly in terms of how the playwrights all find in this particular historical episode new angles for scrutinizing their postcolonial nation, with an eye to moving into the future.”
“This collection would be an excellent text for an undergraduate course on postcolonial African theater. It would also work well for stimulating discussion on the important political and social work of historical memory.” * Research in African Literatures *
