This is the first study to be entirely devoted to African literary drama in French, a major component of African theatre. Beginning with a detailed analysis of its relationship to a variety of pre-colonial, but sometimes still contemporary traditions of performance which constitute part of its roots, Conteh-Morgan examines this drama both in its literary and theatrical dimensions. He discusses its development, themes and techniques and considers its attempts, since the 1980s, to move away from the predominantly text-based drama of first generation playwrights to a more performance-oriented one. The book is divided into two sections: part one offers a theoretical and historical background and part two analyses key individual plays central to the repertoire, including two from the Caribbean. All quotations from play texts are translated into English.