Participatory Communication, Theatre and Peace: Performance as a Tool for Change at the End of Conflict

In this article, Valentina Baú describes a participatory theatre initiative implemented in Kenya, with the aim of understanding the changes that were initiated towards the re-establishment of peace between communities. The article begins with a literature review on Theatre for Development (TfD) and its progress towards a more participatory approach. This is followed by an introduction of the project and the context in which it took place. Baú then presents the study design and Theory of Change (ToC) developed for the analysis, opening the path to a discussion of the findings generated through that framework. Final reflections bring to light a number of issues to be considered when working with participatory theatre in peace interventions.

Baú's opening exploration of TfD highlights the role of drama in initiating a dialogue that leads the audience to resolve the issues that arise when a spectator interrupts the action, following Paulo Freire's approach adapted by writer and artist Augusto Boal. This approach can be particularly useful to initiate open discussions in communities whose members have learned to distrust one other, such as in a post-conflict context.

The project, which had the name of Building Sustainable Structures for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding amongst Communities in Kenya, was carried out in the aftermath of post-election violence that took place in the country between 2007 and 2008. The conflict, arising from both political and ethnic causes, saw the occurrence of a violent fight among tribes, predominantly in rural areas where this research has taken place. The project analysed here was carried out in the provinces of Nyanza and Rift Valley, along with some of the Nairobi slums that were most affected by the violence. To narrow down the scale of the assessment, the study presented here focused on understanding the impact that this project has had in an area of the South Rift Valley that is commonly known by the locals as the Sotik/Borabu border.

In brief, Amani People's Theatre (APT) organised a number of theatre-based activities adopting a participatory approach in an effort to ensure the involvement of community members from different tribes. The activities implemented by APT facilitators involved:

• Dialogue forum theatre - utilising different techniques from the "theatre of the oppressed" method.
• Forum theatre clinics - to reach younger groups in schools.
• Family visits - employing techniques of playback theatre, psychodrama, and drama therapy within the household.

These activities were aimed at nurturing a spirit of non-violence among Kenyans and at offering a space for communities to heal. Through a participatory process, project beneficiaries became involved in a series of theatre plays aimed at promoting peace, which simultaneously made them the actors of their own stories. Participants used the plays to re-enact the events experienced during the conflict and the issues that still affected their communities as a result of those, and they worked together on finding solutions. The project sought to engage mostly youth groups, church leaders, and local administrations, due to the key role that these actors play in the acquisition and dissemination of information in the wider community.

In order to identify the changes brought about by the project in relation to re-establishing peace between communities (specifically with regard to the dialogue forum theatre activity), Baú conducted interviews with 10 project participants. The framework of analysis was developed through an adaptation of the Theory of Change Model for Communication for Development in Peacebuilding built by Baú (2015, 813–814). This framework takes further the ToC for media interventions in conflict countries from Arsenault et al. (2011, cited in Baú 2015, 812) by reframing media as (two-way) communication channels rather than mere information tools. Through this lens, Baú says, we are able to recognise the capacity of media platforms, particularly participatory ones, to initiate individual, relational, and social change in the context of conflict.

Findings in brief, illustrated throughout the paper with quotations from interviewees, regarding the dialogue forum theatre activity:

• ToC1: Individual Change Theory: The participatory theatre activities seem to have contributed to restoring participants' confidence by helping them to identify themselves as agents of change - guiding them in the discovery of new skills and engaging them in a process that encourages self-reflection and greater awareness. There is increased understanding of the effectiveness of communication to create change within communities as opposed to the use of violence. Theories:
  • T1: Telling their own story / Listening to similar stories from others through a medium creates a sense of worth and strengthens the commitment to peace.
  • T2: Individuals recognise the importance of a different behavioural model for the establishment of peace.
  • T3: A process of healing takes place in those who tell or listen to stories about the conflict.
• ToC2: Healthy Relationship and Connection Theory: From the perspective of relational change, the participatory theatre activities appear to have contributed to establishing harmony among their participants and audiences. The introduction or improvement of media sources and communication channels promotes peace by providing an information conduit between dissenting groups, thus reducing prejudice and stereotypes between groups. Theories:
  • T1: An increased understanding of different groups' perspectives enhances unity.
  • T2: Interaction across the former conflict divide is re-initiated on the basis of common beliefs and clearer perceptions.
• ToC3: Social Change Theory: Through the acknowledgement of the different realities of the violence as an outcome of the participatory productions, members of the tribes involved in the media activities - people and groups who otherwise might have not been in contact - expressed appreciation and the determination to accept peace as a platform for resolution of future disputes. At the same time, unequal power relations that had been sustained by the conflict appear to have been reframed within more balanced structures. All these elements represent a contribution towards the foundations that are needed to begin to build a new social fabric. Theories:
  • T1: Different groups peacefully engage in problem-solving.
  • T2: Different groups commence being together in harmony, laying the basis for sustainable development after a conflict.

Baú shares several additional reflections on the process and why it worked. For example:

• Communities were able to see themselves reflected in those performances, as their members were the sole makers of these outputs.
• The theatre activities were a site where people gathered. These opportunities allowed the re-establishment of an interaction that was lost with the violence.
• The element of fiction that characterises theatre made people feel at ease in participating, since actors were not required to perform their own story, but simply to reproduce a situation or a problem that occurred within the communities as a result of the violence.
• It is important to pay attention to the way these media stories can at times destabilise, rather than empower, those who are involved in the telling as well as in the wider group discussion.
• In order to reach a truly participatory communication exchange, access to communicative resources should be given to those who have been oppressed and deprived of their rights, and power should be redistributed.

Baú concludes that, "Despite the present spread of technology, theatre is still a very powerful medium in many societies and researching its role and impact remains an important task."