Three Soweto playwrights. Three distinctive theatrical styles. Each using plays to communicate messages of humanism, Black Consciousness, and Black solidarity. Andile Xaba traces the history of community theater in Soweto, South Africa, during the turbulent years of 1984-1994. Showing how township theater became a popular avenue for political and cultural expression, he places the development of icons Gibson Kente, Matsemela Manaka, and Maishe Maponya into the sociopolitical context of the time. CONTENTS: Theatre Produced in Soweto. Writing the Elusive Narrative of Soweto-Based Community Theatre, 1984-1994. Soweto's Community Theatre.

Gibson Kente. Matsemela Manaka. Maishe Maponya. Conclusion.