Participatory action research on HIV/AIDS through a popular theatre approach in Tanzania

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-7189(02)00044-7Get rights and content

Abstract

A participatory theatre approach stimulated communities to break the silence about sexual and cultural practices leading to HIV transmission, and then to openly discuss what they could do to reduce transmission. Participants were district officials, artists, village and ward leaders, youths, and entire communities. Community theatre specialists trained young community members in participatory research and theatre. These artists then researched and encouraged people in their communities to discuss and evaluate the factors contributing to HIV transmission in their communities. Discussion results were transformed into community and district level performances. This was a very successful IEC effort that identified key risk behaviours and locally developed culturally appropriate, relevant materials, delivered in a popular way. People reflected upon their situation and behaviour, and community leaders addressed harmful practices. Feedback sessions were held with co-ordinators and artists to record lessons learned and make recommendations for improving and expanding the programme.

Introduction

Tanzania is experiencing a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic. Presently 8.1% of the population is HIV positive (UNAIDS, 2000). The most affected are those aged 25–29 years old, but 59,000 children under 15 years of age are also HIV infected and 60% of new infections is among the 16–24 age group. A particular high-risk group is young people who are not in school. While this group is key to slowing the spread of the epidemic, they are also difficult to reach, and inadequate resources have been targeted to reaching them.

Despite the great burden of the disease, people are still reluctant to talk about HIV and the cultural practices and other factors that contribute to the spread of the disease. Thus, traditional research methodologies only tend to scratch the surface of people's real feelings and behaviours. To combat this silence, UNICEF contracted the Tanzania Theatre Centre and Bagamoyo College of Arts to carry out a participatory action research project. The project aimed to use the popular theatre approach to find out the real situation concerning young people, as the basis on which to build a programme for out-of-school youth.

The premise of art for development, or Popular Theatre, is that theatre, whether dance, song, drama, story telling or poetic drama, has the power to sensitise and ‘animate’ people to recognise their problems, analyse them, seek solutions and change behaviours. Popular Theatre also enables people to discuss and evaluate their own efforts to educate themselves, and to make behavioural changes.

The popular theatre approach has been used in sub-Saharan Africa in both projects dealing with youth (el Katsha and Watts, 1997, Olowu, 1998, Stewart and Bhangwanjee, 1999) and projects to combat the spread of HIV (Kresby, 2000, Mill, 2001). Popular theatre has been used in other instances throughout the world to create awareness and deliver health messages (Santiago, 2000, Weisberg, 1996). In Tanzania, the approach normally consisted of a team of popular theatre specialists moving into a community to live and work for a period of time. They would then produce a performance, which provokes debate and action on issues raised by the performance. This project modified that approach. Instead of outsiders carrying out the research and performance, young community artists would do this, under training and supervision from the community theatre specialists.

Section snippets

Background

The risky behaviour of out-of-school youth is related to a web of social beliefs, practices and expectations that are linked to all members of the communities in which they live. Underlying causes are the economic situation of the community as a whole and of young people in particular. Therefore, efforts to change knowledge, attitudes and practices among sexually active adolescents must begin and proceed at the grassroots level and involve both the young people and their network of friends,

Goals and objectives

The overall goal of the participatory action project was to enable youth in rural Tanzania to reduce their risk of HIV infection. This was to be achieved through specific objectives:

  • provide in-depth information on knowledge, attitudes and practices of young people, and use this information to train peer educators, health personnel and other actors at district, ward and community levels;

  • train and involve youth in identifying and analysing issues that affect them and in finding solutions to these

Significant women's and children's rights addressed

It is becoming very clear that gender imbalances are one of the main factors fuelling the epidemic. Girls have little or no rights over resources, and therefore resort to transactional sex to meet their basic needs. This often occurs with the open support of adults. Girls are raised to accept a subservient position in society, and to marry and bear children while still adolescent. Traditional practices protecting girls have been eroded or infiltrated, leading to widespread vulnerability to

District coverage

A ‘district approach’ was taken because experience has shown that while a programme that covers a whole district is more expensive at first, the impact is exponentially greater.

Training of artists

Two artists (one man, one woman) from each of the wards in the four districts were brought together for 2 weeks of training on the popular theatre approach to HIV/AIDS education. The artists were all under the age of 24. The training took the artists step by step through a popular theatre methodology, from data

Cultural practices that contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS

During the data collection and analysis stages, community members in all villages identified specific instances of corruption of cultural norms and values, as well as traditional practices that favour the spread of HIV/AIDS. Examples from Kisarawe and Bagamoyo centred on the process of initiation, particularly of girls. During this process, girls are trained to be a good wife and mother, but are also encouraged to have a ‘farm and a garden’ (meaning a spouse and another sexual partner). Girls

Follow-up by UNICEF

UNICEF follow-up ensured that the next steps in the programme were successfully completed. There are now 100 youth centres (i.e. one centre for every ward in the four districts), all built or provided by the communities and run by peer educators trained by the programme. These educators continue to work with the artists to provoke discussion and educate young people and the community as a whole.

They have been welcomed in schools, churches, and mosques, at national events and village meetings.

Acknowledgements

The original research report on Kisarawe and Musoma Districts was written by Ghonche Materego, Frank R.C. Maguluko and Mgunga Mwa Mnyenyelwa. Other members were Grace Kasege, Hanifa Sabuni, Mija Sayi Shija, Betty Kazimbya, Mona Mwakalinga, Makalaghe Shekalaghe Nkinda, Titus Lugendo, Haji Maeda, Bryceson Wilson and Ballanga Nkwama. The authors gratefully acknowledge the co-operation and support of all that contributed to this research, including the animators, village and ward leaders and the

References (11)

  • A report on participatory action research on HIV/AIDS targeted to out-of-school youth in Bagamoyo District

    (2001)
  • S. el Katsha et al.

    Schistosomiasis in two Nile Delta villages: An anthropological perspective

    Tropical Medical International Health

    (1997)
  • M. Kresby

    Participatory diagramming as a means to improve communication about sex in rural Zimbabwe: A pilot study

    Social Science and Medicine

    (2000)
  • G. Materego et al.

    Participatory action research on HIV/AIDS through popular theatre approach; Kisarawe and Musoma Districts report

    (1999)
  • J.E. Mill

    I'm not a basabasa woman: An explanatory model of HIV illness in Ghanaian women

    Clinical Nursing Research

    (2001)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (0)

View full text