An exploration of theatre as activism as an anti-homophobia intervention amongst Zimbabweans living in South Africa : a practice led research project of The Trial of the Senior Citizen.
Date
2011-05-31
Authors
Ndlovu, Bhekilizwe Bernard
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Abstract
This Practice led Research Report explores the use of Theatre as Activism to address the violation of human rights, with particular emphasis on gay rights in Zimbabwe. There is scant evidence of any form of theatre in Africa, apart from in South Africa that speaks to the existence of gay people, let alone gay rights. There also appears to be no recorded documentation of theatre that engages audiences in an open dialogue about gay rights in Africa.
This research has taken the form of a Practice led Research Project called The Trial of the Senior Citizen. The aim of the project was to create a piece of theatre that could speak to the complex, multiple human rights violations experienced in Zimbabwe under the leadership of President Robert Mugabe’s regime. Gay rights form the central canvas in the theatre project, encapsulating all human rights violations and challenging the landscape of human rights discourse relevant in Africa today. The purpose of the research was to explore what kind of theatre, in form and in making, would entice an audience to engage in a dialogue about the complex gay rights issues prevalent in Zimbabwe. The Practice led Research Project seeks to explore the possibility of speaking to the silencing of, and silence by gay people, using Theatre as Activism.
This written report forms the final stage of the Practice led Research, and argues that Theatre as Activism, as conceptualised by this researcher, is an appropriate form of theatre for the integration of both process-orientated and product specific theatre elements aimed at audience engagement.
Chapter One introduces the reader to this Practice led Research Report. The historical context of human rights and gay rights in Zimbabwe is discussed in Chapter Two. Chapter Three explores the meaning, associations and related processes and forms of Theatre as Activism. In Chapter Four, Practice led Research theoretical and methodological underpinnings are discussed in relation to the making of The Trial of the Senior Citizen, and in Chapter Five the performances and post-performance audience discussions are reflected upon.
Looking at the performances of The Trial of the Senior Citizen, this study concludes that this Theatre as Activism project can be used to break the silence around gay rights and begin a negotiation of beliefs that could lead to the reduction of homophobia.