b'of the character being represented. Costume was(Plageman, 2013: 148). However, the CPP (Con-used to reinforce the difference between celestialvention Peoples Party) struggled to achieve this, characters and mortal beings, clearly illustrat- and instead worked to incorporate highlife into ing that humans cannot enter that supernaturalpolitical agendas to fight British colonialism. world. The costumes were also treated with careWhen comparing these two performance cultures, as they are a symbol of the clothes of deities whowe can see that there is an underlying need for are purer than humans, therefore only specificperformance to give their respective populations a people are allowed to touch the garments. Thereminder of their heritage and nationhood. They difference between Sanskrit theatre attire andserved the purpose of strengthening their coun-Ghanaian concert party costumes shows how thetrys national identity by either retelling the sto-former aims to represent the supernatural whilstries of their own heritage long before colonisation concert party represents humans (in the main).or used the styles that evolved out of colonialism This comparison reinforces my previous point ofto empower them after gaining independence. how Sanskrit theatre is regarded as sacred, and integral aspects of theatre such as costumes, areThese two theatrical traditions show that core treated with the same religious respect, whilstaspects of storytelling transcend languages, cul-concert party takes a more entertainment-driventures, and time itself. Their stories and method of role with their costumes and performance. storytelling are distinct, yet they still contain the same moral lessons, showing that even commu- It is evident that aspects of both types of thea- nities which have never crossed paths still hold tre were used as a tool to strengthen the sensesimilar values. There are still a lot of aspects of of national identity after gaining independence.these two performance cultures which have not Sanskrit theatre existed long before colonisationbeen covered in this essay, such as the use of mu-of India; therefore, it was used as a revival ofsic in both cultures, which needs to be explored Indias heritage and past in their post-colonialwhen discussing storytelling. There are also manyBhat, G., 1959. The Vidushaka. Ahmedabad: The New Order world. Chakravorty writes that classical danceother questions which arise from this comparison,Book Co. had the essence of the Sanskritised Hindu Spiritlike the stories told in both countries today, and (Chakravorty, 1998: 114) a statement which showswhether storytelling evolved and changed in theChakravorty, P., 1998. Hegemony, dance and nation: The that classical dance and all the other performancepast decades. Though both cultures had a signifi- construction of the classical dance in India. South Asia: Jour-art forms that have evolved from Sanskrit thea- cant impact in empowering citizens and strength- nal of South Asian Studies, 21(1), pp. 107-120. tre are the foundation of Indian (mostly Hindu)ening their patriotism in the past, do theatre andCole, C. M., 2001. Ghanas Concert Party Theatre. Bloomington: nationalism. We can gauge from Chakravortysstorytelling still have the same effects? Indiana University Press. statement [classical Indian dance] remains frozen in space and time, enacting ancient mythologies,Donkor, D. A., 2016. Spiders of the Market: Ghanaian Trickster as we enter the 21st century that the same storiesPerformance in a Web of Neoliberalism. Bloomington : Indiana used centuries ago are still being told and remainUniversity Press. relevant today. Sanskrit theatre has evolved intoNellhaus, T., et al., 2016. Theatre Histories: an Introduction. 3 different dance forms all over India, with eached. London, New York: Routledge.form representing that region in which it has originated from through their jewellery, fabricPlageman, N., 2013. Highlife Saturday Night: Popular Music and of costumes, and makeup. These stories are heldSocial Change in Urban Ghana. Bloomington: Indiana Univer-sity Press. in high regard by Hindus and are preserved by retelling them throughout performances. Richmond, F. R. a. Y., 1985. The Multiple Dimensions of Time and Space in Kiyam. Asian Theatre Journal, 2(1), In a similar way, highlife music, a joyous up- pp. 50-60. beat style of music used often in concert party,Sen-Podstowska, D. S. S., 2021. Discussion of Odissi Dance was used by the government to make it Ghanas[Interview] (26 10 2021). national music to strengthen Ghanaian identity after gaining independence. Nate Plageman notesV.R., R., 2013. Folk Tradition in Sanskrit Theatre: A Study that the government wanted to use dance high- of Kutiyattam in Medieval Kerala. Proceedings of the Indian life bands to express ideas about being a citizen,History Congress , Volume 74, pp. 313-322. the nation and African identity to strengthen the populations patriotism and national identity 52 53'