Four methods were employed to collect data, namely post-performance discussions, participant observation, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions.
4.4.1 Post-performance discussions
Post-performance discussions followed the two shows of ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’
performed in Malealea on the 6th of July 2006, and the Revised Version that was performed on the 11th of July 2006 by WSI students and the REFLECT circle members from Malealea. The discussions were facilitated by one of the lecturers from Lesotho.
During the two shows of the 6th and the 11th I sat with the audience members. As the audience was discussing issues emanating from the play, I took notes.
The other data was collected when the WSI students and REFECT circle members were presenting their plays to each other. All the post-performance discussions that happened after the three groups presented their plays were part of my data collection. I also took notes.
4.4.2 Participant observation
This methodology is often used when the researcher is a member of the group that he or she is studying. This methodology is popular among researchers whose interest is studying communities, cultures or contexts (Stacey, 1996:52). After the play was staged in Malealea, the thirty REFLECT circle members under the guidance of the WSI students and lecturers created a play in response to ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’. Drama workshops were held every day from 9.00am – 4.00pm. The REFLECT circle members discussed issues, some relating to the play and theme of the project through theatrical forms such as role playing, Image Theatre, storytelling and an adaptation of Forum Theatre (Boal,1979). I was a participant throughout these workshops, in that I took part in image theatre, creating images, and also telling personal stories. As these issues were being dealt with in various theatrical forms, I took notes.
The method of observation that was used was unobtrusive observation (Bernard, 1994:142). This method involves studying behaviour where individuals do not know that they are being observed. This method reduces an occurrence of reactivity or people acting in a certain way when they realise that they are being observed (Bernard, 1994:142-3). The first time when the play ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’ was staged at
the community health clinic on the 6th of July 2006, I sat with the audience. As the play proceeded I watched the audience’s non-verbal expressions and also listened to the comments that they made to each other during the course of play. Other observations were also made during the duration of the workshop and at the last performance staged on the 11th of July 2006 by WSI students and members of the REFLECT circle.
During tea and lunch breaks I also took notes and listened as the REFLECT circle members talked amongst themselves about the project. I found that the informal discussions with the REFLECT members during these times were quite informative. I also took this opportunity to ask them about their backgrounds and aspirations, and we also talked about religion and politics. Their responses formed part of my research data.
Kathleen DeWalt and Billie DeWalt (2002:9) notes that the utilisation of participant observation as a method to collect data is a way of strengthening the validity of the study since the observations may help the researcher better comprehend the context. Prior to the project I had never been to Malealea and did not know anything about the place except that it was a favourite place for tourists. I decided to use this approach as one of my methods for data collection so that it would give me a better understanding of where the residents were in their thinking. Also it would help me to revise my thinking in terms of my pre-conceived ideas about the community.
The other reason why I decided to use this method was that it would help me refocus my questions and ask questions that they could actually relate to their environment. Prior to the observations I did have questions that I had written down but because I was not really sure how they would respond to the play, I found that these questions were very general.
A further reason why I decided to use observations as a research method was simply to seek information without asking questions. Sometimes when people are asked questions by an outsider they tend to be self-conscious. During observations notes were taken and analysed at a later stage.
4.4.3 Focus groups and group interviews
There was one informal group interview and three focus groups. This group interview was on the 6th of July after the post-performance discussions in Malealea. Once the post- performance discussions were over the audience formed groups and started talking about issues emanating from the play. I then went to one of the groups and asked to interview them. This group consisted of both adult males and females. There were about five women and two men ranging in age from the early thirties to the late forties. The group interview lasted about thirty minutes. Questions that were asked included: How did you feel about the play? Do you think the play ‘talked’ to you? Which scene did you like the most and why? Do you think the play was effective? What other issues are you confronted with on a daily basis here in Malealea that you wish the play could have addressed?
During the group interview they started sharing ideas and stories, and that is where I got the most information. Because of the insightful information that I got from this first group interview I was able to restructure some of the questions that would be used in the focus groups and in the in-depth interviews. In particular I was able to be more specific in my questions; for example, I asked: What do think about young couples that show their affection where older people can see them?
There were three focus groups. The first focus group was held on the 7th of July during lunchtime. This focus group consisted of five female REFLECT members ranging in age from 29 to 45 years. The focus group was conducted as we ate our lunch, after an in- depth interview I had with one of the males.
The second focus group was conducted on the 8th of July in the afternoon. The respondents were organised by my tour guide and the group consisted of only males, all but one of whom had seen the production when it was staged on the 6th. They ranged from 16 years to 27 years of age. This focus group discussion took place at the lodge’s gate in the afternoon, and it lasted the longest as the respondents had a lot of fun.
The last focus group took place on the 11th of July after the performance at the festival. It consisted of a group of five girls, three of whom had watched the play on the 6th and two who had not, but had heard people talking about it and had just watched the revised version. This focus group was the shortest, and the participants were distant and seemed distracted. It seemed to me that they wanted to get it over with, perhaps because they wanted to join the queue for food. Their ages were between 17 and 23 yrs. Their answers were very short and they did not seem to be interested. Focus groups have proven to be effective for the dynamic exploration of differing experiences and perceptions and therefore they were a valuable addition to this dissertation.
4.4.4 In-depth interviews
Five in-depth interviews were conducted, two with women and three with men. Of the three men, only two were involved in the project; one was in his late thirties and the other was in his early forties. The other male was a young man in his mid-twenties who had watched the play but was not part of the project. Two women were interviewed, one in her mid-thirties and the other in her late twenties. I had initially prepared to have the in- depth interviews with only the women but when I realised that there were only two men involved in the project, I decided to interview both of them. I was interested in finding out what their perception of women is because I was looking at cultural silence and, as has been noted already, this is not because woman are literally silent but because those who have the power choose not to listen. Interviewing men would add value to the dissertation as it would add another dynamic.
The reason why I decided to interview the tour guides and have a focus group with them, although they were not part of the project, is that during the post-performance discussions the villagers kept referring to tour guides and their relations with their mothers and girls and older women in the village. I thought it would be an avenue for me to explore, especially because the REFLECT circle members consisted only of older women and only two men.
Two interviews were conducted on the 7th of July. The first interview was with one of the males during lunchtime and the second one was conducted during teatime at around 3.00pm. The interviews were between twenty and thirty minutes long. The third interview was on the 8th of July with the young man who was a tour guide and held the horse for me as we went pony trekking for two hours between 10.00am to 12.00pm.
During my interview with him, he agreed to help me set up a focus group with his friends.
The last two interviews were held on the 10th of July. Both the interviews were held during lunch. They lasted for about twenty minutes. The reason why they were cut short is because this was the last day of rehearsal before the villagers and students performed the production and everything was cut short for the rehearsals.
The reason for conducting in-depth interviews was to gain a deeper understanding of what the people understand by the culture of silence. Questions included: What are the things that you liked about the play? Why do you think that people do not talk about issues that affect them? What are the consequences of not talking? Do you think that after this project is over people will continue to work together and solve their own problems? Do you think the play helped you see things from a different perspective?
These questions were used to initiate the flow of the interview and I made sure that they remained open ended to allow for unexpected exploration. During the interviews I took notes.
The reason why I decided to interview people who were not part of the REFLECT circle was to establish if the play did speak to them, the audience that had come to watch the play, and whether they did indeed talk about some of the issues raised (the idea being that the play was a first step towards community dialogue).