Periodising the Evolution of Theatre for Development (TfD) and the Development Communication Process in Africa (original) (raw)

INTERROGATING THEATRE AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION IN AFRICA

The paper examines the evolution of theatre for development in Africa and mutations that have attended its growth. The work also critically examines the interfaces between TFD and development communication with a view to prospecting on the future directions of development communication in Africa

Theatre as Tool for Development in Nigeria

Among the many communication tools available, theatrical representation is a favorite in many sub-Saharan African countries. Because of its festive, communal, realistic and concrete nature, it is almost impossible to avoid if you have a message to transmit to local communities – whether rural or urban. When we talk about theatre in the development context, we are obviously not talking about classical theatre, but rather about popular forms of theatre also known as street theatre, intervention theatre, or theatre for develop¬ment. The most popular forms of theatre for development are forum theatre, interactive theatre, and the theatre debate – all of which use similar techniques. One of the distinguishing characteristics of popular theatre is its social content. The troupes of actors are often local or regional. The villagers do not have to travel to see the performances, as the troupes come to the villages to perform. Within development, there is an increasing recognition of the need to hear the opinion of the people who are most affected by development. One response to this is ‘Theatre for Development’, which is a technique of performance and drama-building. It rests on an interaction between people who are in the flight path of development projects and those agencies who initiate them. This paper will examine theatre as a powerful tool of communication which enables people to contribute in the development of their society and thereby get involved in the search for solutions. Keywords: Africa, Communication, Development, Theatre, Enlightenment, Nigeria

Theatre and Development: Opportunities and Challenges in a Developing World

2010

This paper is an attempt at espousing the pertinence of theatre in national development, especially in a developing African nation-state like Nigeria. In doing this, the paper identifies and discusses the exploitable opportunities that go along with the deployment of theatre in enhancing national development. The paper concludes that theatre, in whatever form, has a vital role to play towards creating a strong, responsive and effective representative institution and in advancing the frontiers of development in any society, particularly in the African context.

Wither Popular Theatre? Revolutionary Weapon, Domesticating Tool, or Mere Academic Exercise

2002

The term popular theatre and its activities is a relatively new genre of theatre practice sweeping most African and in fact developing countries of the world today. It is a form of theatre which started as a praxis for offering challenges to oppressive structures so that human beings can achieve dignity, self expression and self-realization, especially in societies that have suffered heavy fragmentation and class divisions, and thus.offer the rural man new ways of looking at development, new ways using available tools and materials for greater productivity and progress.<br> This paper takes a look at selected areas, few as they are, where popular theatre has been practised or is being operated with a critical evaluation of such experiments, bearing in mind its supposed ideological leaning and how successful this ideological pursuit vis-a-vis the practice has fared. The paper, ultimately, the writer opens up a few questions as to which of these three ideological nomenclatures (...

THEATRE FOR DEVELOPMENT IN INDIAN CONTEXT : AN INTROSPECTION

GLOBAL MEDIA JOURNAL INDIAN EDITION

This paper will introspect the role of theatre in development communication. Theatre is a very effective & responsive tool for foster the growth of development procedure. It starts off by the history of theatre in international & Indian context and with the origin & nature of development communication in third world perspective. Then the paper attempt to espouse the liaison between theatre & development by using Paulo Freire & Augusto Boal’s analysis. In India theatre worked as a weapon against political exploitation in British rule. After independence Theatre remains relevant for its participative & flexible nature. This paper also focuses on Leftist ideology in theatre & anti-fascist theatrical movement. In India theatre emphasizes the themes such as agriculture, literacy campaign, social harmony, girl trafficking, child labour, gender discrimination, religious tolerance, women empowerment, prevention of HIV-AIDS, family planning, pulse polio, nutrition, environment pollution etc. Three case studies of Nazariya, Kolkata Creative Art Performer & Ashokenagar Natyamukh give a detailed account on how theatre disseminates developmental idea in different parts of India. This paper concludes that theatre plays an effective & crucial role in conflict resolution, cultural identification, community development, social control, social protest, spreading mass awareness in different social issues to the grass root people.