The Son of Umbele

The Son of Umbele is a play written in 1973 by Ghanaian writer Bill Okyere Marshall.[1]

Synopsis
The Son of Umbele is a tragedy played out in front of the home of a fisherman[1] in which the
principal character, Joshua, becomes the victim of his own flaws. The play is in three acts. The first
act introduces us to the household of Sumako and his children with their sick mother. The second
act is about the love affair between Joshua and Duella, at the same time Joshua is beginning to
know the son of Sumako. The third act looks at the duel between Benko and Joshua which
eventually leads to the latter shooting himself.

Performance history
The play was written while Williams was in the US.[1] Baldwyn W. Burroughs directed the play in
1973 in Ghana[2] (Mohammed ben Abdallah played the lead in that production[3]) and a few
months later directed it in the US, at Spelman College. The reviewer for Black World wondered
whether a Western audience would ever appreciate the show.[2]
References

1. Killam, Douglas; Rowe, Ruth, eds. (2000).

The Companion to African Literatures (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=4Xty33Cs
RBYC&pg=PA158) . Indiana UP.
pp. 157–58. ISBN 9780253336330.
2. Molette, Barbara (April 1973). "Atlanta" (htt
ps://books.google.com/books?id=wTkDAA
AAMBAJ&pg=PA91) . Black World.
pp. 86–92.
3. Aidoo, Anthony A.; Gibbs, James (2001).
"Mohammed ben Abdallah at fifty". In
Banham, Martin; Gibbs, James; Osofisan,
Femi (eds.). African Theatre: Playwrights &
Politics (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=F5h8O8TafTUC&pg=PA85) . African
 theatre. Vol. 2. Indiana University Press.
pp. 84–88. ISBN 9780253214584.

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