Aesthetics of Participation in Film for Community Development:

Abstract

This article explores how film as a mode of intervention in community development has deliberately integrated the aesthetics and poetics of participation. To demonstrate how this is made possible, a film by Sponsored Art For Education—Kenya (SAFE-K) entitled Watatu is deployed as a specimen for critical analysis. From the structuring and framing of the film through the infusion of community theatre participatory aesthetics, it is discerned that film can actually incorporate aesthetics of participation to engage audiences in dialogue.