Death and the King's Horseman: A Play

I suppose it is is risky not to like this play because one can easily be accused of white supremacism, which certainly is not my aim. Still, I find it hard to totally subscribe to cultural relativism. Of course, some of the arguments presented in the play intended to weaken the European stance make sense, most of all, their willingness to end several lives just to keep one person from committing ritual suicide. But nevertheless, I simply cannot find it in me to be open enough to consider ritual suicide something potentially worth defending. I may be totally immersed in Western ideology but that is fine with me in this case. Other than that, the play does achieve a certain level of poetry, and most characters - wrong as I find their motivations to be - are well-drawn, with the play tackling not only differences between Europe and Africa but subtly also male and female clashes. But I just disagree to much with the central message.

Angeregt durch den Besuch einer grandiosen Aufführung des Theaterstückes in London, habe ich das Stück jetzt nocheinmal gründlich und geruhsam nachgelesen. Es ist eine äusserst witzige Gegenüberstellung der "weissen" und "schwarzen" Mythen, Sitten und Vorurteile und zeigt wie ähnlich sich doch eigentliche alle Menschen sind in ihren Ängsten und Freuden, Pflichten und Neigungen.Sehr lesenswert oder noch besser: gut auf der Bühne zu schauen!

Une pièce poétique, un drame passionnant, l'œuvre d'un maître. bravo Mr Soyinka. . . . . . . . .

This play has so many depths to it, but it is definitely worth reading. Whether you stick to Wole's desires for it to be read metaphysically or you dive into the political aspects of the play, you will have plenty to explore. It is a short and tightly woven narrative. Highly recommend.

Amazing book, highly recommend!