Thinking for decision makers
Inspired by an early conversation with veteran theatre practitioner and academic specializing in popular performance practice in Southern Africa, Professor David Kerr – whose years of experience has led him to believe that change is more likely if grass roots development activities exist hand in hand with enabling political will at a leadership level - led us towards targeting policy makers.
The gap between Malawi’s decision makers and the people also spurred us into creating a bridge between the two.
Malawi’s fledgling democracy suffers from extremely strong legacies left by the oppressive 30 year dictatorship of Dr Banda: negative perceptions of power and leadership, marginalisation of women, lack of accountability and the destructive “Big Man Syndrome” among them.
Nanzikambe strongly believes in the future of democracy in Malawi and Africa – and wishes to make theatre-based contributions that will strengthen the consolidation of democracy in Malawi.
PROJECTS:
Different pages for each of these four
- Women in Politics.
- Implications of the 2002 Food Crisis (PWF)
- International Republican Institute
- Policy Interaction between key food security stakeholders .....
- Feedback element of our Anti HIV/AIDS programme – to take the people’s experienced of health care service providers to the district and national policy making level
- Decision maker conferences to be a part of our Democracy and Leadership project, ‘Democracy on Trial’ coming soon.
Funded by HIVOS in partnership with WFP:
A THEATRE BASED POLICY INTERACTION BETWEEN KEY FOOD SECURITY STAKEHOLDERS, DONORS, NGOS AND BENEFICIARIES
Policy maker interviews & Theatre-based policy interaction with World Food Programme & Partners
Following the same research framework as carried out for the creation of Playing with Food and building on the relationship of trust that was development during this research, Nanzikambe research director will conduct interviews with key stakeholders at top policy level – including Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Relief, National Food Reserve Agency, Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC), Key personnel within the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agricultural committee, leading academics at BUNDA agricultural college, EU, WFP, DFID, IMF, WORLD BANK, key food distribution and agricultural development NGOs, District Commissioners and village chiefs and headmen who influence the vulnerability lists for food distribution.
The purpose is to gather perspectives on challenges facing Malawi’s food security and to analyze the relationship between these key stakeholders. The findings will form the basis for creating performance elements of the project.
It is widely known that there are tender relationships between key stakeholders in food security –between WFP’s NGO partners, government stakeholders and other large donors such as DFID. Any sensitive political relationship that has the potential to erupt or disrupt important information flow or activities, and indeed frequently does so, has is worst cost and impact on one group – it is the beneficiaries of food aid, the poorest, most vulnerable sector of society who suffer.
The idea for Nanzikambe’s intervention is to provide a safe forum for more open, frank and fruitful dialogue at policy level, whilst engaging in an activity that emphasizes the ‘togetherness’ of these key stakeholders – whose purpose is united towards a more food secure nation in Malawi. The full project will involve holding crucial stakeholder workshops where Nanzikambe will perform a carefully researched and dynamic story that depicts the more sensitive and indeed, dangerous aspects of the relationships between these key food security bodies and figures. Through reflection and critical engagement in the hypothetical stories presented, it is intended that the challenges facing these relationships can be unpicked and solved. |
