Framing dialogue for conscientisation in selected theatre for development Enterprises in Kenya

Abstract

This study is an attempt at understanding the appropriate framing of dialogue which yields participatory learning in Theatre for Development enterprises; which according to leading theorists, brings about conscientisation of the target community. Conscientisation is imperative in community empowerment because it enables members of the target community to be the drivers of the change they want. This study therefore sought to examine how dialogue can be framed to encourage participation using the selected Theatre for Development enterprises, and as such be in a position to advice on what constitutes appropriate framing of dialogue for conscientisation. The objectives that guided this study were: to examine how the selected theatre groups frame dialogue in pursuit for conscientisation; to examine the paradigms of participation in Theatre for Development; and to examine the intervening factors that influence the framing of dialogue in pursuit of conscientisation in Theatre for Development. Three theories were applied in this study. Mda’s concept of intervention, Boal’s Poetics of the oppressed, and Freire’s theory of dialogical action were applied. It is a qualitative study largely dealing with non statistical data such as: intervention, attitudes formed, and levels of participation and therefore data collected were largely descriptive in notes form. The main sources of primary data and units of analysis were: Sponsored Art for Education in Kenya (SAFE) Kenya, Legal Resource Foundation, Imara Players’, and Moi University 2014 TfD Project. The instruments of data collection were: participants’ observation, interviews, and literature from secondary sources. In analyzing the collected data, the transcribed notes of various aspects of data were categorized in a way that offers description of how framing of dialogue was done. Literature from secondary sources helped develop new insights, deepen the understanding of the researcher, cut out ambiguities and remove irrelevancies. Among the key findings was that the prioritization of the communal problems while executing a TfD enterprise is critical so as to realize high levels of participation because vaguely felt needs cannot attract sufficient attention. Also, Minimum Cognitive Requirement (MCR) on the part of the target community is a critical component for progressive dialogue because it is what drives them to start dialogue without being persuaded. The study therefore concludes that educational levels of the target community influence the likely levels of participation in the dialogue process. This is because an educated population has a better understanding of communal problems and therefore to them, constructive contribution is inevitable. Among the recommendations of this study is the need for a government policy on education that focuses on promoting literacy levels especially in rural and urban slum communities. This is because the educational level of any community is the basis of developmental communication.