Abstract:
This is a study of Theatre for Development (TfD) in Kenya. It is an attempt to map out
and describe different manifestations of the practice which would, in a way, act as a
critical model for practitioners and other stakeholders. However, this is in no way an
attempt to provide a rigid all-purpose theoretical model, but nonetheless to offer ways,
through a description of aspects of Theatre for Development, within which and
through which social and behavioural transformations in this eclectic field may take
place. To this end, case studies of a few indicative and contrasting examples of
Theatre for Development will be used to provide a mirror which will enable its
practitioners to reflect upon and critique their own practices as a way of achieving
optimum effectiveness.
The works of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal provide the study with a theoretical
model in which its basic assumptions and arguments are tested and developed. These
two authors, whose works are related in many ways, privilege the use of participatory
approaches in the process of creating critical consciousness and promoting change in
the individual and in society; these are fundamental requirements in any meaningful
practice of Theatre for Development.
The findings of this study reveal the discursive and eclectic state of the practice of
Theatre for Development in Kenya as originating from a multiplicity of factors such as
the skills (or lack thereof) of the practitioners, government interference and the
prescriptive agenda and demands of the project funding bodies, institutions and
agencies as well as the proliferation of NGOs using Theatre for Development but
iiilacking its foundational philosophy and methodology. This study therefore suggests
that, for the enterprise to be more effective and efficient there is a serious need to
reflect critically on its procedures and methodology in order to improve and guide its
operation. These fundamental aspects include collaborative research, codification,
interactive participation, and facilitation and intervention, and are not prescriptive
matters but descriptive, arrived at through a critical analysis of a number of Theatre
for Development activities in Kenya. Ultimately the research process has thus
highlighted a number of weaknesses and strengths in the practice of Theatre for
Development in Kenya.
Because Theatre for Development is a performance event, the study utilised both
quantitative and qualitative research methods. This was necessary, because the study
depended on a bibliographical review, unstructured interviews and action research,
where the researcher participated in Theatre for Development projects, happenings and
related activities