Page 21 - Thietre Arts

Theatre Arts For Secondary Schools

to a group or an ideology. A ritual is a theatrical performance in which the performers
present their experiences before the audience. As in other theatre forms, performers
in rituals use costumes, makeups and props. A ritual may use dance, song, mime,
recitations, narration or any combination of these forms. A ritual may include worship,
healing, initiation and installation of leaders. Rituals differ from one ethnic group to
another based on social and cultural beliefs of the society. In many societies, rituals
are used as a survival mechanism to help people cope with challenges they face in
their day-to-day lives. Although rituals played and still play an important role to
humans, many indigenous rituals in Africa have disappeared because of technological
advancement, cultural interaction and the influence of religions such as Christianity
and Islamic.
However, rituals have meaning in our daily life since sharing a ritual gives people a
sense of belonging to a country, nation, community, society or a family. Rituals can
be classified into sacred and secular.

Sacred rituals
Sacred rituals are any repetitive and organised behaviours closely associated to a
religious institution, belief, or custom. The purpose of a sacred ritual is to communicate
with gods or other supernatural powers. Sacred rituals are religious by nature and
aim to bring people closer to the universe. These rituals are important aspects of
religion because they allow believers to express and enhance their confession that
grant them forgiveness from their ancestors and the creator. In traditional African
religions, sacred ritual performances were done at temples, under the tree, near the
mountain created specifically for gods or ancestral spirits. People feel secure when
they take part in sacred rituals. Examples of non-African sacred rituals are Christian
mass services and prayers performed by Muslims. These rituals follow a systematic
and established procedure of worshipping.
Secular rituals

Secular rituals are non-religious as they focus on promoting social and moral needs
of a society. In other words, secular rituals are conducted for non-religious purposes.
Apparently, one might say that the two co-exist since there is no complete absence
of religious rituals in secular rituals. Such coexistence causes no harm. Its use, the
social function and its impact on the participants is one that matters. Secular rituals are
part and parcel of ceremonies, graduations, national events, marriages and initiation
rites. Secular rituals are inevitable because they constitute the ordinary framework of
collective social life. Figure 1.9 shows people performing rituals while giving their
offerings to the gods.

13 Student’s Book Form One

18/10/2024 18:39
Theatre arts form 1.indd 13
Theatre arts form 1.indd 13 18/10/2024 18:39