Tiv Tribe Exploration: Shakespeare In The Bush

Tiv tribe exploration: Shakespeare in the Bush.

Oxford student and American anthropologist Laura Bohannan goes to West Africa to study Tiv tribe. As she goes there, she grabs a book called "Hamlet". Later that she will find out the true meaning of "Hamlet" will be from the Tiv tribe. In West Africa Laura noticed that pretty much people around the world are more or less the same. Later she will find out this fact as she tells the story to the tribe about "Hamlet".

I believe translating "Hamlet" to the Tiv's tribe was not clearly understandable. First of all there was an language barrier that made a bit more complex task for Laura to tell the story. Second of all, elders didn't believe in ghost and called it "omen" which shaped the story different way. Though Hamlet was not mad, he was bewitched, Hamlet should have many wives not one, Hamlet shouldn't avenge his uncle, and these are just couple of facts that Tiv tribe were neglecting and altering Laura's story of "Hamlet". They were neglecting the story Laura was telling and shaping it their way as they see it in their culture and history. I believe the story was altered drastically and that many of things we see normal in Europe, Tiv tribe were rejecting and shaping things their way.

My personal reaction about Laura's techniques was that she had to communicate more with the tribe as they were drinking. Since she was sitting in her hut, she missed communicating with the tribe. I believe if she would have be more active in the tribe as they were drinking, she would tell her story differently so that elders would understand the way she wanted to. Also in my opinion when you go to study some kind of the tribe in different continent, you shouldn't be staying in a hut reading a book, when people of the tribe are inviting you to party. As I said before if she would've gone to the party's and spending all her time listening their stories, maybe the whole story of the "Hamlet" would be different too.