Shakespeare (way down) along the Nile: How a pidgin adaptation of Cymbeline gave South Sudan its theatre

Abstract

Aim of the paper is to analyse the gradual development of Southern Sudanese theatre, focusing on the development of Juba Arabic in the light of the contemporary translation of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline by the prominent intellectual Joseph Abuk, who is also the father of the South Sudan national anthem. The paper is divided in two parts: in the first one, the authors investigate the history of theatre in Sudan and South Sudan, considering the historical background that influenced it with a focus on the adaptations of Shakespeare’s works in Arab and African countries. The second part is dedicated to the relation between languages and ethnicity in South Sudan, thus offering a brief overview of its socio-linguistic landscape. A major attention is given to Abuk’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline from English into Juba Arabic (Cymbeline: li katib Shakespeare) for the South Sudan Theatre Organization (SSTO). This second part also comprises an appendix, which provides a brief linguistic analysis of some selected parts from the 2012 adaptation, as part of the recorded play Cymbeline (London, June 2012), performed by the South Sudan Theatre Organization (SSTO). The original Abuk’s play script (2012) is yet unpublished, while a full video-recording of the play is available at:

https://globeplayer.tv/videos/Cymbeline