Theatre for development in Kenya : in search of an effective procedure and methodology

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This is a study of Theatre for Development (TfD) in Kenya. It is an attempt to map outand describe different manifestations of the practice which would, in a way, act as acritical model for practitioners and other stakeholders. However, this is in no way anattempt to provide a rigid all-purpose theoretical model, but nonetheless to offer ways,through a description of aspects of Theatre for Development, within which andthrough which social and behavioural transformations in this eclectic field may takeplace. To this end, case studies of a few indicative and contrasting examples ofTheatre for Development will be used to provide a mirror which will enable itspractitioners to reflect upon and critique their own practices as a way of achievingoptimum effectiveness.The works of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal provide the study with a theoreticalmodel in which its basic assumptions and arguments are tested and developed. Thesetwo authors, whose works are related in many ways, privilege the use of participatoryapproaches in the process of creating critical consciousness and promoting change inthe individual and in society; these are fundamental requirements in any meaningfulpractice of Theatre for Development.The findings of this study reveal the discursive and eclectic state of the practice ofTheatre for Development in Kenya as originating from a multiplicity of factors such asthe skills (or lack thereof) of the practitioners, government interference and theprescriptive agenda and demands of the project funding bodies, institutions andagencies as well as the proliferation of NGOs using Theatre for Development but lacking its foundational philosophy and methodology. This study therefore suggeststhat, for the enterprise to be more effective and efficient there is a serious need toreflect critically on its procedures and methodology in order to improve and guide itsoperation. These fundamental aspects include collaborative research, codification,interactive participation, and facilitation and intervention, and are not prescriptivematters but descriptive, arrived at through a critical analysis of a number of Theatrefor Development activities in Kenya. Ultimately the research process has thushighlighted a number of weaknesses and strengths in the practice of Theatre forDevelopment in Kenya.Because Theatre for Development is a performance event, the study utilised bothquantitative and qualitative research methods. This was necessary, because the studydepended on a bibliographical review, unstructured interviews and action research,where the researcher participated in Theatre for Development projects, happenings andrelated activities

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University