Practice as Research: What Role Can Image Theatre and Photography Play in Co-Knowledge Building and Cultural Preservation among Marginalized Ethnic Groups in Botswana?

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research addresses Botswana’s disenfranchisement of non-Setswana-speaking ethnic groups, as evidenced by constitutional exclusion, political disparities, and the delayed reintroduction of mother tongues in schools. Through the exploration of Image Theatre, members of diverse marginalised ethnic groups were inspired to use their bodies as vessels of communication. Photography was employed to document the preservation of culture, embodied in the physical representations of participants’ respective cultural identities. Practice as Research (PaR), framed through the dual lens of decolonisation and social constructivism, facilitated the structuring of the inquiry and yielded insights into the application of Image Theatre. The practice, inclusive of artefacts symbolising participants’ cultures, established Botho as a value shared across ethnic groups. The PaR focused on fostering participant agency through non-verbal communal communication and collective knowledge construction. This study demonstrates how Image Theatre, the body, and cultural artefacts—combined with photography—serve to validate memories of culture and language. The work illustrates how stories may be unearthed and reflected upon, with a view to preservation through photographic documentation, thereby immortalising cultural attributes and creating opportunities for future reflection and meaning-making. Keywords: Marginalized, Ethnic Groups, Botswana, Image Theatre, Practice as Research