It is a one-act play that takes place during historical experiences in African-American history, with the main focus being aboard a slave ship during the Middle Passage from Africa to America. Baraka’s play employs this representation of African-American history as a method of creating a communal African-American identity through the conservation of African cultural origins. The use of music throughout the play is essential to this theme of African-American cultural identity and unification. The use of music, character, and combining audience participation in a shared dance were exercised to create a ritualistic drama through which Baraka saw theater, and his play, as a means to enthuse political action.
Baraka may have chose to write about the past, rather than the time frame he was in, to show African Americans past and where many came from and what they endured. This can be seen by incorporating the music that seemed to be tribal like, for…
He was able to not only tell a story, but inspire audience involvement by letting them on stage to join with the dancing. At the time, it seemed like a humorous and amusing thing to the audience. But then Baraka changed the atmosphere. He changed that enjoyment into a diverting pastime. Including the throwing of New Tom’s head onto the stage, he was able to add a message and a moment of verdict into his play. Many other playwrights did such a thing, but not exactly to this magnitude. He was able to put the audience in the limelight, or on trial if one wants to go so far, instead of having them sitting in their chairs and just watching like many other plays have done. He made them a part of it, in the middle of it. They had to choose, on the stage, to rise up or turn their…
