Thinking on theatre's Role in Development

The meeting of people, bodies, thoughts, emotions, actions is the start for most change. Interactive theatre simply provides a meeting place. Through dialogue and engaging collectively in the present moment, communities can negotiate the framework for their future.

“Mutu umodzi susenza denga”Chichewa Proverb meaning One head does not carry the roof

In post-independence Africa, the widespread pattern of euphoria followed by disillusionment, albeit generalised, experienced by many nations has affected the confidence in indigenous forms of Theatre for Development. This is compounded by donor confidence in Western, or external expertise and further complicated by the increasing distance between modern/urban society and traditional life.

“…the answer to the problems, and strategies for development, lie within the community itself”

Prof. Allan Munro, “Forum Theatre as Action Learning Action Research: Boolean Strategy ”

Nanzikambe views the essential combination of the qualities, skills and objectives of development practitioners, theatre-makers and actors as being key to achieving high-impact, empowering educational experiences.

‘Citizenship education is not simply a body of knowledge and information that can be taught. Abilities and dispositions cannot be taught. They can only be learned and developed through action-learning or experiential-learning’

Fancourt Declaration on Globalization and People-Centered Development – Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting, 1999

All Nanzikambe development work is based on the conviction and belief that theatre, and theatre-based educational methods and frameworks, can play an integral role in contributing to important aspects of national development, from the grassroots through to policy making level.

Theatre’s accomplishment and function is to feed the soul by expressing powerful stories, and to provide a safe forum in which beneficiaries, or participants, can express and explore deep-rooted issues, feelings or problems. Theatre, and associated learning methods also provide an appropriate educational framework for empowerment.

“Knowledge is not acquired through merely abstract, rational thought (idealism) but by experiencing, interacting and reflecting on the material world in which we live”

Kane 2001

Furthermore, through the interaction and participation, “answers” to the local “problems” can be discovered. Both theatre-making and development are processes that are organic and ever-re-defining, so though this is difficult to summarise, in essence, Nanzikambe’s thinking is based on a commitment to extracting truth, so that truth breathes through the actors, whether they are professional actors, development practitioners, community members or volunteers