ABSTRACT
Izaga are Zimbabwean proverbs containing generational wisdom. They are used in traditional storytelling and performance as a way of expanding on core truths. They place authority in the hands of poets and storytellers and are often used as a way of speaking truth to power. This chapter – presented as a dialogue between the Zimbabwean and British authors – reflects on a cross-cultural experiment undertaken as part of the MA in Playwriting at the University of York (UK), with the aim of decentering and disrupting traditional Western approaches to the teaching of playwriting. It introduced izaga as a creative starting point for collaborative theatre practice, leading to playwriting. Through a combination of research, improvisation, practical workshops, and writing exercises, students engaged with izaga as a form, establishing a decentered approach to narrative and incorporating a range of performance approaches deriving from Zimbabwean storytelling. This consciously decolonising experiment resulted in an expansion of understanding and practice and an enlivening conversation between African storytelling culture and European playwriting tradition. The chapter concludes with practical exercises for both groups and the individual writer.
