Aspects and dimensions of community participation in Theatre for Development: The case of the University of Zimbabwe’s Manfred Hudson Hall Sanitation Project (2004)

This article attempts to critique and analyse the possibilities and complexities of the manifestations of aspects and dimensions of popular participation in Theatre for Development with particular reference to the University of Zimbabwe’s Manfred Hudson Hall Sanitation Project (2004). It examines the extent to which Arnstein’s classification of levels of participation can be adopted in Theatre for Development projects. It emerges that the adoption of critical and systematic approaches in the analysis of the function of participation in Theatre for Development can be fruitful, seeing that the danger of celebrating manipulative and problematic participation is real. Major emphasis is also placed on the constraints, limitations and potential risks related to various aspects of community participation. The authors contend that this is only achievable within the context of a critical and robust engagement with dynamic and multi-dimensional manifestations of community participation in given Theatre for Development projects.