However, the same survey found that there are other areas of the South African HIV/AIDS response that require serious attention. This project is not part of the Act Alive project and is not discussed in this thesis. The activation of local responses to HIV/AIDS has been a strong emphasis of the fight against HIV/AIDS worldwide (Kelly, 2004).
These and other rhymes are now part of the Zulu language syllabus in the primary grades of schools.
Chapter Two: An autoethnographic approach
I am interested in finding out whether participatory interpersonal activities such as workshops and forum theater undertaken as part of the DramAidE Act Alive project facilitate critical thinking and the adoption of healthy behaviours. Ms. Meyers observed some of the DramAidE forum theater presentations where I was acting as well as a joker12. It is important to determine whether the activities undertaken by DramAidE as part of the Act Alive project resonate with core principles that mediate against or for healthy life choices.
Through workshops with the DramAidE facilitator, they identify advocacy issues such as pregnancy and sexual harassment and undertake campaigns as part of the year-long health calendar to promote healthy lifestyles.
Chapter Three: A life in review – Telling it as I know it
One of the ways in which all norms and rules of behavior were respected was punishment. I couldn't talk to anyone because of the noise levels and the fact that everyone was drunk. While we were driving back from the beach to the university, one of my friends started throwing up all over himself and in the car seats.
In his opening address to delegates attending the AIDS 2000 conference, Mbeki said, “the breakdown of immune systems among millions of our people, such that their bodies have no natural defenses against attack by many viruses and bacteria.
Chapter Four: exploring the theories that inform DramAidE
The first DramAidE plays incorporated a visual representation of the technical infection process as it occurs in the body. At that time HIV was unknown and the purpose of the theater program was to educate people about the reality of being infected with HIV. This model uses aspects of the health belief model, diffusion of innovation theory and the social cognitive theory to explain the process that individuals/people go through to change their behavior to avoid the risk of infection.
They argue that behavior is induced by a multitude of factors, some of which are beyond the individual's control. Their sense of commitment to marriage is also difficult to betray because of the cultural expectations that come with ilobolo. These theories emphasize the individual and try to explain and predict the individual's behavior.
Behavior change communication, which is essentially directed at the individual, invariably fails to acknowledge the collective consciousness of the community and the powerful effect that the cultural context has on the individual. This has raised questions about the effectiveness of the communication prevention strategies currently being implemented. Uganda is one of the countries in the world that has significantly reduced HIV/AIDS infection among its population (Singhal and Rogers, 2003).
They are asked to endorse the campaign and make public statements in support of the campaign. This may be true of the approach in 1994, but subsequently DramAidE consulted with schools from 1998 to set up the Act Alive project.
Chapter Five: A cultural approach to HIV/AIDS prevention
To discuss aspects of Zulu culture relevant to the Act Alive project, I have focused on some parts of the Zulu belief system and social system. However, these strands of culture are not separate, but woven into the fabric of culture. It's about what we do today to make sense of the world we live in.
South Africa is a society in transition and constantly adapting to the expectations of a rapidly changing world within the context of globalization. This places even more emphasis on the need to understand the centrality of cultural context rather than simply individual beliefs in developing communication campaigns (King, 1999). However, in the rural community of Ndwedwe, outside Durban, teachers are reporting to DramAidE facilitators that young girls sometimes do not finish school because of a cultural practice called ukuthwala.
Instead, the tendency is to take the girl to the boy's house and live together without the parents' consent. 31. This emphasis on the individual challenges the African notion of the collective and the powerful influence that the group has on the individual. The choice of words and tone associated with a language is indicative of the cultural group it comes from (Geertz, 1994).
The way we socialize and express ourselves depends on our cultural understanding of the world. Traditional forms of oral expression such as praise poetry, folklore, isicathamiya are part of Zulu cultural heritage (Turner, 2005).
Chapter Six: The Methodology
An enabling and affirming environment is created in which the oppressed can tell their stories, present issues and address real problems (McCarthy and Galvao, 2002:7). The image is a representation of a phenomenon that may be real in the minds of the participants and they may have different representations of the actual image on stage). Understanding the root causes of the problem allows participants to see beyond the manifestation of the problem.
This ensures that the solutions suggested in the following step address the causes of the problem and not the symptoms.). Oppression is extremely dangerous when it is deeply embedded in the psyche of the oppressed, because it is no longer a problem. The essence of the workshop involves changing the image and reflecting on the changes made.
He questions and 'problematizes' the solutions that the participants propose in order to create a solution. deeper insight into the issue. They have often asked to what extent they should be involved in the daily struggles of the project beneficiaries. The teacher has all the information and stores it in the minds of the students (Freire, 1970:54).
Mkhonzeni: “The best way to deal with those difficult issues, which are often difficult to talk about, is the approach you take when you talk about them. This therapeutic aspect of the performance may not invite the audience to be part of the action on stage.
Chapter Seven: Conclusion
Understanding the culture of the communities where Act Alive is implemented improves the implementation of the project in those communities. Understanding the need to adhere to appropriate community protocols to access the community helps facilitate acceptance of the projects. I have encouraged my female colleagues to wear skirts if we have a meeting with members of the traditional authority so that they are easily accepted into the community.
The influence of the wider context on the ability of these peer educators to carry out their activities is recognised. For example, one of the fundamental goals of forum theater is social and political action. It is sometimes difficult to get projects to truly work together while meeting the needs of funders.
They are part of cultural heritage and young people are socialized into these practices. The socialization of young people includes influences from other cultures as there are no communities closed and isolated from outside influences. This juxtaposition of local language and idioms is insufficient and may not appeal to the beliefs and values of local communities.
They must interpret these messages in terms of what they mean in the local context and relate them to the norms and beliefs of the local community. This helps facilitate critical thinking which is likely to lead to ownership of the process and action.
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2001) "The challenger's challenge: Understanding and scaling up Africa's university response to HIV/AIDS". 2001) "Virginity Testing: Managing Sexuality in a Mature HIV/AIDS Epidemic". 2009) "Cultural scripts for multiple and simultaneous partnerships in southern Africa: why HIV prevention needs anthropology". 1998) "Theatre of the Oppressed: Developing a Pedagogy of Solidarity?". 2002) "Peer Education, Gender and the Development of Critical Consciousness: Participatory HIV Prevention by South African Youth", Social Science and Medicine. 2004) "A Study of Local Government HIV/AIDS Projects in South Africa". 2003) Applied Theatre: Creating Transformative Community Encounters.
UNESCO, (2001) Handbook for Fieldwork: Building Local Response, A Cultural Approach to HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care. Peer promotion programs and social networks in Ghana: Methods for monitoring and evaluating AIDS prevention and reproductive health programs among adolescents and young adults. 2005) 'Contextualizing Group Rape in Post-Apartheid South Africa'. ed.) (2005).
Interviews
Since DramAidE's inception in 1993, independent evaluators have provided evaluations of the various DramAidE programs and projects. The following is a list of evaluations of ACT Alive and Forum Theater conducted in DramAidE. 2009). DramAidE Youth for change project: Final evaluation. 2008) 'A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of a one-time forum theater intervention and weekly ongoing workshops used by DramAidE'.
A Student Honors project at CCMS, published on the KIT website available at www.ccms.ukzn.ac.za. 2007) DramAidE Mid-Term Evaluation Report. 2003) Peer Educator Responses: Findings and Recommendations Unpublished report for DramAidE, Department of Psychology, University of KwaZulu-Natal. 19970) Gender dynamics and the role of participatory/developmental theater in a post-apartheid South Africa: The example of DramAidE.
