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Kennedy C. Chinyowa

Bio: Kennedy C. Chinyowa is an academic researcher from University of KwaZulu-Natal. The author has contributed to research in topics: Improvisation & Blueprint. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 3 publications receiving 17 citations.

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TL;DR: In this article, an alternative development approach that has come to be called integrated popular theatre is presented, where development can be turned into a combined learning process between rural communities and outside experts.
Abstract: An outstanding problem that has haunted most development workers in Africa has been how to effectively engage rural communities who often have no access to modern technological media like newspapers, radio, television, video and film. The tendency has been for development workers to resort to top-down or blueprint development approaches that usually undermine the very purpose for which they were intended. Instead of inspiring community-driven action, such exogenous approaches tend to treat development as an event rather than a process. This article looks at an alternative development approach that has come to be called integrated popular theatre. In particular, the article focuses on a case study that demonstrates how development can be turned into a combined learning process between rural communities and outside experts. Integrated popular theatre thus marks an innovative paradigm shift in which the grassroots and development experts become partners in development.

9 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: The authors identify different frames of metacommunication located in play as an aesthetic discourse and examine such play frames as paradox, make-believe, repetition, imitation and improvisation to show how they function as processual templates for reworking and restructuring reality.
Abstract: The problem for educational theatre practices such as African theatre for development has been how to come up with a conceptual framework that enables both practitioners and participants to interpret their work. Since theory functions to inform practice, the absence of a clear theoretical paradigm also affects how practitioners construct their workshops and/or performances. This article identifies different frames of metacommunication located in play as an aesthetic discourse. Using the illustrative paradigm of African theatre for development, the article examines such play frames as paradox, make-believe, repetition, imitation and improvisation to show how they function as processual templates for reworking and restructuring reality. These discursive frames enable participants to construct ‘images of reality’ (Boal, 1995) that can be translated into reality. They help to create alternative frames of existence where participants are free to experiment with reality, dream the impossible and rehears...

5 citations


Cited by
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2,629 citations

01 Nov 1998

764 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Arts-based approaches have provided a platform to facilitate enquiry, achieved significant reach and in some instances supported demonstrable health-related change, and future research should focus on broadening application to other conditions, such as non-communicable diseases, and on addressing challenges raised in research to date.
Abstract: Introduction Arts-based approaches to health promotion have been used widely across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly in public health responses to HIV/AIDS. Such approaches draw on deep-rooted historical traditions of indigenous groups in combination with imported traditions which emerged from colonial engagement. To date, no review has sought to map the locations, health issues, art forms and methods documented by researchers using arts-based approaches in SSA. Methods Using scoping review methodology, 11 databases spanning biomedicine, arts and humanities and social sciences were searched. Researchers screened search results for papers using predefined criteria. Papers included in the review were read and summarised using a standardised proforma. Descriptive statistics were produced to characterise the location of the studies, art forms used or discussed, and the health issues addressed, and to determine how best to summarise the literature identified. Results Searches identified a total of 59 794 records, which reduced to 119 after screening. We identified literature representing 30 (62.5%) of the 48 countries in the SSA region. The papers covered 16 health issues. The majority (84.9%) focused on HIV/AIDS-related work, with Ebola (5.0%) and malaria (3.3%) also receiving attention. Most studies used a single art form (79.0%), but a significant number deployed multiple forms (21.0%). Theatre-based approaches were most common (43.7%), followed by music and song (22.6%), visual arts (other) (9.2%), storytelling (7.6%) and film (5.0%). Conclusions Arts-based approaches have been widely deployed in health promotion in SSA, particularly in response to HIV/AIDS. Historically and as evidenced by this review, arts-based approaches have provided a platform to facilitate enquiry, achieved significant reach and in some instances supported demonstrable health-related change. Challenges relating to content, power relations and evaluation have been reported. Future research should focus on broadening application to other conditions, such as non-communicable diseases, and on addressing challenges raised in research to date.

30 citations