Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Number 2 | Page 113

Empathy: The Power of Healing
Michael Anyanwu
Mike Anyanwu is a Director in the National Troupe/National Theatre of Nigeria. He holds a B.A.
(Hons.) Second Class Upper Division Degree in Theatre Arts (University of Calabar), Master of
Fine Art (MFA) Theatre Arts (University of Calabar); M.Sc. Mass Communication (University of
Lagos); LL.B (Hons.) University of Lagos, BL (Nigeria Law School) and enrolled as a Barrister
& Solicitor in the Supreme Court of Nigeria. His works in the National Theatre/Troupe include
Song of the Gods (1992), New Frontiers (1993), Erinma (1994), The Contest (2001/2010), The River
Between (2013), Eriri (2014), lfenkili (2015), Shakara (2015), Akrifa (2015) and Murna (2016). He
has been on performance tours/conferences to Japan, China, Egypt, London, Dubai, South Africa
and Serbia. He is a member of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners
(NANTAP), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Write Local Play Global (WLPG), Arterial Network,
International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network (ITYARN).
Empathy has long been seen as a crucial aspect of the theatrical experience.
Edwin Wilson (����) states that empathy “is the experience of mentally entering
into the feelings or spirit of another person—in this case, a character on stage.” The
spectator’s identification with a character on stage can yield self-examination
and emotional outpouring. This therapeutic outcome of empathy in the
dramatic experience has led to the development of psychodrama, sociodrama,
drama-therapy, and playback theatre. The essential thread in all these
dramatic developments is the significance of empathy created within the
theater by scenes in hospitals, prisons, schools, playgrounds, and enclosures.
Murna, which means joy in the Hausa language, is a play about women and
children in Nigeria displaced by Boko Haram’s violence. The character’s
stories are reenacted through folk-media—which includes storytelling,
Hausa folksongs, drumming, and dancing—flashbacks
and role-playing. The performers shred their trauma
by using participatory and communal interaction with
spectators. Audiences are able to empathize with the
actors by relating the action to their own fears and
suppressed traumas. This process of self-examination,
which includes a purging of emotion, leads to relief
and healing. Likewise, the actors experience a similar
sensation through the joy and comfort they bring to
others.
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