Yazi Dogo

Abdoulkader Yazi Dogo (* 1942 in Dogondoutchi ; also Yaji Dogo , Yagi Dogo ) is a Nigerien actor , playwright and theater director .

Life

Early years

Yazi Dogo was born in the Maizari district of the city of Dogondoutchi in southwest Niger. He attended elementary school in his hometown. At school celebrations he showed his talent for acting. After primary school, he worked as a clerk for two years to support his parents. He then went from 1953 to 1956 to a Roman Catholic middle school in Upper Volta , the Collège Saint Jean Baptiste de La Salle in Ouagadougou . He joined the local school theater troupe and became one of their leaders.

For a decade, Yazi Dogo worked as a teacher in the Roman Catholic school system in Niger. He initially worked from 1960 to 1967 at the École Canada in Niamey . At the same time he led a boy scout group , which he brought closer to acting.

In Zinder

From 1967 to 1970 Yazi Dogo taught at the École Mission Garçons in Zinder . In 1970 he switched to the state school system and began teaching at the École Birni Garçons in the Birni district . André Salifou and Marcel Inné had already established a new theater tradition in the city of Zinder . Yazi Dogo initially worked as an actor in Salifou's plays until Salifou handed over the direction of the performances to him.

Dogo founded his first own theater company in 1972 with the Troupe Théatrale de Zinder . The troupe, which existed until 1982, specialized in comedies in the Hausa language and is considered Niger's most famous comedian group of the 1970s. Yazi Dogo's first work as a playwright, Sojen da , dates from 1973 and deals with basic military training in the French colonial era . As the author of a total of around thirty plays that he brought to the stage, he chose both historical and current topics. In his comedies he was influenced by local oral traditions , legends and proverbs. He also wrote around a hundred skits with a sensitizing character. In it he dealt with topics such as AIDS , poliomyelitis , malnutrition , school enrollment for girls, forced marriage and family planning .

In addition to his career as an actor, playwright and theater director, Yazi Dogo continued to work in the school system. He studied at the Niamey University Faculty of Education . In a school experiment , which was then incorporated into the mainstream school system, écoles expérimentales (experimental schools) were set up in Niger from 1973 . In addition to French, which was customary at the time, selected national languages were used as teaching languages in primary schools. Dogo worked on it from the beginning until 1980 in Zinder and experimented with the use of the national language Hausa in the classroom.

In Niamey

Yazi Dogo moved to the capital Niamey in 1983 and in the same year founded the theater troupe of the Center Culturel Oumarou Ganda , which soon after him assumed the name Troupe Théâtrale Yazi Dogo . The troupe became one of the most popular and with over thirty actors the largest theater company in the country. In addition to Yazi Dogo as a celebrity comedian , Oumarou Neïno , also originally a teacher, was one of the most famous actors. The ensemble initially improvised new pieces, which were then put into text form by Yazi Dogo. The language used during the performances remained Hausa, but expressions in Zarma , a language common in Niamey, were also woven in. Dogo also had language adjustments made during tours. During performances in Agadez, elements from the Tamaschek language were adopted and in Nigeria terms derived from French were replaced by English . On their home stage at the Center Culturel Oumarou Ganda, Yazi Dogo's troupe held a well-attended week-long comedy festival once a year for a long time.

The state broadcaster Office de Radiodiffusion et Télévision du Niger (ORTN) started broadcasting theater performances on the radio in 1962. The programs made actresses and actors such as Hadjia Délou and Hima Adamou known. In 1979, the ORTN broadcast the series L'heure du théâtre populaire (The hour of popular theater) for the first time on television. A piece by Yazi Dogo was shown with Riga ba Wuya (The Shirt Without a Collar). He and his troupe were often present in L'heure du théâtre populaire , which was broadcast every Sunday and was seen by many people. He also appeared on the sketch show Détente et Sourire (Relaxation and Smile), which aired every Tuesday. Yazi Dogo also played in several Nigerien films , such as Nuages noirs (1979) by director Djingarey Maïga and Si les cavaliers (1982) by director Mahamane Bakabé based on a template by André Salifou. In the 1980s he reached the peak of his artistic career. Head of State Seyni Kountché honored him with the Knight's Cross of the National Order and the Palmes Académiques Nigers.

In Niamey, Yazi Dogo also worked as a school inspector for elementary schools in the 1980s. In a joint program at Niamey University and Boston University , he initially taught French and Hausa from 1987, then performing arts. Most recently, he held a managerial position at the state educational college Center de Formation Professionelle in Niamey, until he retired from civil service in 1997. With the decline in government funding for cultural events and the rise of the Nollywood films, Yazi Dogo increasingly worked artistically as a private entertainer. In the Nigerien National Museum in Niamey he appeared weekly as a storyteller for children. Similar to the theater troupe Messagers du Sahel from Azonhon Faton , the Troupe Théâtrale Yazi Dogo increasingly produced commissioned works for ORTN and non-governmental organizations .

Yazi Dogo is married and has five children.

literature

Chaïbou Dan Inna : Yazi Dogo et l'art du théâtre populaire au Niger . L'Harmattan, Paris 2015, ISBN 978-2-343-03209-2 .
Rahmane Idrissa: Historical Dictionary of Niger . 5th edition. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham / Boulder / New York / London 2020, ISBN 978-1-5381-2014-9 , entry Dogo, Yazi , p. 191 .
Jean-Dominique Pénel, Amadou Maïlélé: Littérature du Niger. Rencontre . Volume I: Kélétigui Mariko, Mamani Abdoulaye, Idé Oumarou, Yazi Dogo, Hawad, Ibrahim Issa. L'Harmattan, Paris 2010, ISBN 978-2-296-12858-3 , Chapter IV: Yazi Dogo , p. 153-204 .
Jean-Dominique Pénel, Marie-Clotilde Jacquey: Un théâtre mixedte: Yazi Dogo . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 69-73 .

Web links

Curriculum Vitae: Abdoulkader Yazi Dogo. (PDF) In: African Language Materials Archive. Michigan State University , March 18, 2009(French).; accessed on March 25, 2020
Joanna Cussigh: Yazi Dogo et le théâtre populaire nigérien. Video, 25 min. In: Dailymotion . 2010 .; accessed on March 23, 2020

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Curriculum Vitae: Abdoulkader Yazi Dogo. (PDF) In: African Language Materials Archive. Michigan State University, March 18, 2009, accessed March 25, 2020 (French).
↑ Jean-Dominique Penel: politique et Littérature . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 105 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Rahmane Idrissa: Historical Dictionary of Niger . 5th edition. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham / Boulder / New York / London 2020, ISBN 978-1-5381-2014-9 , pp. 191 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Jean-Dominique Pénel, Marie-Clotilde Jacquey: Un théâtre mixed: Yazi Dogo . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 69-70 .
↑ Maman Mallam Garba: Education bilingue au Niger: entre convivialité et conflits linguistiques . In: Penser la francophonie: concepts, actions et outils linguistiques. Actes des Premières Journées scientifiques communes des Réseaux de Chercheurs concernant la langue . Éditions des Archives Contemporaines, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-914610-25-4 , pp. 456 .
↑ ^a ^b Chaibou Dan Inna, Ousmane Tandina: Niger . Translated by Helen Heubi. In: Don Rubin, Ousmane Diakhaté, Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh (Eds.): The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theater: Africa . 2nd Edition. Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-05931-3 , pp. 216 .
↑ ^a ^b Chaïbou Dan Inna: Le théâtre . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 67 .
↑ Jean-Dominique Pénel, Marie-Clotilde Jacquey: Un théâtre mixed: Yazi Dogo . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 71-72 .
↑ ^a ^b Chaibou Dan Inna, Ousmane Tandina: Niger . Translated by Helen Heubi. In: Don Rubin, Ousmane Diakhaté, Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh (Eds.): The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theater: Africa . 2nd Edition. Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-05931-3 , pp. 214-215 .
↑ Chaibou Dan Inna, Ousmane Tandina: Niger . Translated by Helen Heubi. In: Don Rubin, Ousmane Diakhaté, Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh (Eds.): The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theater: Africa . 2nd Edition. Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-05931-3 , pp. 213 .

personal data
SURNAME	Dogo, Yazi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Dogo, Abdoulkader Yazi (full name); Dogo, yaji; Dogo, yagi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Nigerien actor, playwright and theater director
DATE OF BIRTH	1942
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dogondoutchi

[ALMA-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Curriculum Vitae: Abdoulkader Yazi Dogo. (PDF) In: African Language Materials Archive. Michigan State University, March 18, 2009, accessed March 25, 2020 (French).

[2] Jean-Dominique Penel: politique et Littérature . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 105 .

[Idrissa_191-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Rahmane Idrissa: Historical Dictionary of Niger . 5th edition. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham / Boulder / New York / London 2020, ISBN 978-1-5381-2014-9 , pp. 191 .

[Théâtre_mixte_69_70-4] Jean-Dominique Pénel, Marie-Clotilde Jacquey: Un théâtre mixed: Yazi Dogo . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 69-70 .

[5] Maman Mallam Garba: Education bilingue au Niger: entre convivialité et conflits linguistiques . In: Penser la francophonie: concepts, actions et outils linguistiques. Actes des Premières Journées scientifiques communes des Réseaux de Chercheurs concernant la langue . Éditions des Archives Contemporaines, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-914610-25-4 , pp. 456 .

[Rubin_216-6] Chaibou Dan Inna, Ousmane Tandina: Niger . Translated by Helen Heubi. In: Don Rubin, Ousmane Diakhaté, Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh (Eds.): The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theater: Africa . 2nd Edition. Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-05931-3 , pp. 216 .

[Le_théâtre_67-7] Chaïbou Dan Inna: Le théâtre . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 67 .

[8] Jean-Dominique Pénel, Marie-Clotilde Jacquey: Un théâtre mixed: Yazi Dogo . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 71-72 .

[Rubin_214_215-9] Chaibou Dan Inna, Ousmane Tandina: Niger . Translated by Helen Heubi. In: Don Rubin, Ousmane Diakhaté, Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh (Eds.): The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theater: Africa . 2nd Edition. Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-05931-3 , pp. 214-215 .

[10] Chaibou Dan Inna, Ousmane Tandina: Niger . Translated by Helen Heubi. In: Don Rubin, Ousmane Diakhaté, Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh (Eds.): The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theater: Africa . 2nd Edition. Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-05931-3 , pp. 213 .