Kisii University, a government funded university in Kenya, have included two plays of Bengali-Swedish poet Anisur Rahman in its drama curriculum 2021.
The university’s Department of Languages and Literature and Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences will have the two plays -- ‘Dawit Isaak’ and ‘The Minister and Wolf’ -- on their reading-list, and thus be tested on the materials derived from the two plays.
Dawit Isaak is Anisur’s newly written play. However, the second one was first commissioned by the Swedish Radio Theatre and NRK Norwegian Radio Theatre in 2012.
Anisur Rahman wrote the play Dawit Isaak in Bengali and Swedish. Dhaka University’s August Strindberg researcher Mahbub Siddiquee translated it into English. Ananya Books has published its Bengali version at the Ekushe Book Fair this year.
Drama students will read, interpret, and perform the two plays at the university hall in autumn 2021. The information, photos and video-clips about the activity will be relayed to the playwright in collaboration with the Kistrech International Poetry Festival.
In this regard, in charge of drama course, Dr Christopher Okemwa said: “The first play, based in Eritrea, highlights the oppression meted out by undemocratic states upon their innocent subjects, especially journalists who work hard to liberate their people by telling them the truth.”
“The second play puts a spotlight on the plight of refugees in the world today. In both plays, human rights are violated. Human right violation is a universal theme and the two plays are very relevant to our society in Kenya and contain suitable materials for our drama students at Kisii University where I lecture drama and poetry.”
Bengali-Swedish writer Anisur’s authorship is based in Bangladesh and Scandinavia. Anisur is a member of the board of Swedish Writers’ Union.
His diverse literary works include prose, poetry, novel, short story and books for children. His plays have been presented on Swedish Radio Theatre, NRK Norwegian Radio Theatre and at theatres in Bangladesh, India, Sweden, Armenia, Georgia and Norway.
Educated at Dhaka University and Stockholm University, full-time writer Anisur works for Swedish Centre for Literature in Uppsala and leads creative writing programs. He is heavily involved in literary cultural debates in media houses like bdnews24.com and unt.se etc.
