University of Malawi, chancellor College
Department of Fine and Performing Arts
This article examines the impact of funding models on contem- porary Malawian theatre. It attempts to examine how, since its emergence, the form has been hampered by the lack of a national arts council or funding strategy. We discuss... more
This article examines the impact of funding models on contem- porary Malawian theatre. It attempts to examine how, since its emergence, the form has been hampered by the lack of a national arts council or funding strategy. We discuss theatre in the 1970s and ‘80s before examining NGO funded theatre since the 1990s, moving to a case study of an international donor aided theatre company, Nanzikambe Arts.
In this article, we argue that under President Kamuzu Banda’s dictatorship (1964-1994) theatre was not supported by the state, in part, because it was perceived as a threat to the re- gime and artistic voices were, some times violently, silenced. After 1994, the arts funding situation did not change and into the gap came NGOs, who used performers to make message-based theatre. We also assert that in the 2000s theatre practice became further complicated by the in ux of international donors and their promotion of the European canon, at the expense of theatre that was truly made by, for and about Malawians in their own languages, and using their local performance forms. Ultimately, our argument is that politics and economics has affected theatre progression and professionalism in the country, for change to happen there must be an overhaul of current funding structures.
In this article, we argue that under President Kamuzu Banda’s dictatorship (1964-1994) theatre was not supported by the state, in part, because it was perceived as a threat to the re- gime and artistic voices were, some times violently, silenced. After 1994, the arts funding situation did not change and into the gap came NGOs, who used performers to make message-based theatre. We also assert that in the 2000s theatre practice became further complicated by the in ux of international donors and their promotion of the European canon, at the expense of theatre that was truly made by, for and about Malawians in their own languages, and using their local performance forms. Ultimately, our argument is that politics and economics has affected theatre progression and professionalism in the country, for change to happen there must be an overhaul of current funding structures.
This article is about a series of participatory theatre-based workshops that I conducted with a group of male students from the University of Malawi between February and June 2015. In Malawi, young men are at high risk of acquiring HIV... more
This article is about a series of participatory theatre-based workshops that I conducted with a group of male students from the University of Malawi between February and June 2015. In Malawi, young men are at high risk of acquiring HIV because of pressure to perform sexually risky behaviours (not using condoms and having multiple sexual partners) in order to assert themselves as men. The failure to engage men in challenging and changing dangerous constructions of masculinity will continue to leave women vulnerable to infection and perpetuate the spread of HIV. Using workshop and performance vignettes I illustrate how theatre-based methodologies facilitated the investigation of masculinity and HIV and enabled young men to consider solutions for change. I argue that my work impacted some participants and shows real potential for wider use. However, in order for real change to occur, this work needs to be further developed and boys and girls need to be empowered to openly discuss sexuality, gender identity, and HIV.
In this article, I argue that Malawian TfD is little changed since it was first developed. The problem begins with the training of practitioners from Chancellor, who then end up working with NGOs, but without adequate training and even... more
In this article, I argue that Malawian TfD is little changed since it was first developed. The problem begins with the training of practitioners from Chancellor, who then end up working with NGOs, but without adequate training and even less a foundation in critical pedagogy to enable them to make theatre that is dialogical and truly participatory. I also claim that contemporary TfD has become increasingly message oriented, promoting only donor and NGO messages. Ultimately, my argument is that TfD in Malawi has never been taught or practiced for real empowerment and that for change to happen it must begin at Chancellor where almost all of those leading TfD work in the country have been trained.
Résumé : Depuis plus de 20 ans maintenant, l’intermédialité transforme radicalement notre façon de penser les textes, tous médias confondus. Elle a provoqué de nouvelles synergies entre les disciplines, induit de nouveaux partages et... more
Résumé :
Depuis plus de 20 ans maintenant, l’intermédialité transforme radicalement notre façon de penser les textes, tous médias confondus. Elle a provoqué de nouvelles synergies entre les disciplines, induit de nouveaux partages et emprunts méthodologiques, et même permis d’établir de nouvelles lignes de démarcation entre les cultures universitaires. Alors que la revue Intermédialités/Intermediality fête ses 15 ans, nous nous proposons de faire le point sur les différentes conceptions que l’on se fait de l’intermédialité à l’international. « Cartographier (l’intermédialité) » signifie donc que l’on s’intéressera aux divers cadres institutionnels et méthodologiques qu’elle rencontre à travers les mondes universitaires qu’elle traverse, mais aussi à l’extraordinaire variété d’objets auxquels elle se retrouve appliquée. Comment l’intermédialité permet-elle de distinguer les cultures universitaires ? Est-il possible d’unifier les conceptions que l’on se fait de l’intermédialité à partir des disciplines où elle apparaît plus ou moins incidemment (comme dans les études littéraires, les études cinématographiques, les études théâtrales, l’anthropologie, les cultural studies, les (video)game studies, etc.) ? Ou sont-ce plutôt la langue et la tradition de recherche nationale qui sont déterminantes pour l’unité des conceptions que l’on se fait de l’intermédialité ? Quels sont les concepts communs que les domaines d’études émergents — en particulier celui de l’écologie des médias — doivent à l’intermédialité ? Enfin, quel rapport entretient l’intermédialité avec de récents « grands tournants » en sciences humaines, par exemple la montée des humanités numériques ou encore celle des new materialisms ?
Abstract
For over twenty years now, intermediality has radically transformed the ways we think about texts across media. It has introduced new synergies between disciplines, new ways of sharing and borrowing methodologically, and it has even established new lines of demarcation between academic cultures. Thus, as the journal Intermédialités/Intermediality celebrates its fifteenth anniversary, this issue charts the diversity of current conceptions of intermediality. Emphasizing the concept’s far-reaching international dimension, “Mapping (Intermediality)” focuses on the diverse institutional frameworks and methodologies that intermediality encounters as it traverses numerous academic worlds, as well as on the extraordinary variety of its objects of study. How does intermediality allow us to distinguish among academic cultures? Furthermore, is it possible to unify conceptions of intermediality based on an observation of those disciplines where it is routinely practiced, but often without much theorization (as is the case in literary studies, cinema studies, theater studies, anthropology, cultural studies, (video) game studies, etc.)? Or, rather, might it be language specificity and national research traditions, primarily, that consolidate understandings of what constitutes intermediality? What are some of the overarching concepts that emerging fields of study (in particular that of media ecology) owe to intermediality? And what is the connection between intermediality and important recent shifts in the humanities, such as the rise of digital humanities or new materialisms?
Depuis plus de 20 ans maintenant, l’intermédialité transforme radicalement notre façon de penser les textes, tous médias confondus. Elle a provoqué de nouvelles synergies entre les disciplines, induit de nouveaux partages et emprunts méthodologiques, et même permis d’établir de nouvelles lignes de démarcation entre les cultures universitaires. Alors que la revue Intermédialités/Intermediality fête ses 15 ans, nous nous proposons de faire le point sur les différentes conceptions que l’on se fait de l’intermédialité à l’international. « Cartographier (l’intermédialité) » signifie donc que l’on s’intéressera aux divers cadres institutionnels et méthodologiques qu’elle rencontre à travers les mondes universitaires qu’elle traverse, mais aussi à l’extraordinaire variété d’objets auxquels elle se retrouve appliquée. Comment l’intermédialité permet-elle de distinguer les cultures universitaires ? Est-il possible d’unifier les conceptions que l’on se fait de l’intermédialité à partir des disciplines où elle apparaît plus ou moins incidemment (comme dans les études littéraires, les études cinématographiques, les études théâtrales, l’anthropologie, les cultural studies, les (video)game studies, etc.) ? Ou sont-ce plutôt la langue et la tradition de recherche nationale qui sont déterminantes pour l’unité des conceptions que l’on se fait de l’intermédialité ? Quels sont les concepts communs que les domaines d’études émergents — en particulier celui de l’écologie des médias — doivent à l’intermédialité ? Enfin, quel rapport entretient l’intermédialité avec de récents « grands tournants » en sciences humaines, par exemple la montée des humanités numériques ou encore celle des new materialisms ?
Abstract
For over twenty years now, intermediality has radically transformed the ways we think about texts across media. It has introduced new synergies between disciplines, new ways of sharing and borrowing methodologically, and it has even established new lines of demarcation between academic cultures. Thus, as the journal Intermédialités/Intermediality celebrates its fifteenth anniversary, this issue charts the diversity of current conceptions of intermediality. Emphasizing the concept’s far-reaching international dimension, “Mapping (Intermediality)” focuses on the diverse institutional frameworks and methodologies that intermediality encounters as it traverses numerous academic worlds, as well as on the extraordinary variety of its objects of study. How does intermediality allow us to distinguish among academic cultures? Furthermore, is it possible to unify conceptions of intermediality based on an observation of those disciplines where it is routinely practiced, but often without much theorization (as is the case in literary studies, cinema studies, theater studies, anthropology, cultural studies, (video) game studies, etc.)? Or, rather, might it be language specificity and national research traditions, primarily, that consolidate understandings of what constitutes intermediality? What are some of the overarching concepts that emerging fields of study (in particular that of media ecology) owe to intermediality? And what is the connection between intermediality and important recent shifts in the humanities, such as the rise of digital humanities or new materialisms?
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