The Role of Theater as a Catalyst for Participatory Community Development in Lesotho (Southern Africa)

The discussions in this introductory section will, to a great extent, re-echo our submissions in related publications (Ebewo 2007, 2005, 2004). Since the late 1980s, theater for development practice (TfD) has gained grounds in Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Latin America and Asia. Though its practice is not totally alien to advanced countries, it is in the development of the Third World countries that its relevance is more profound. Though this practice has been variously described as "Forum Theater," "Participatory Theater," or "Community Theater" in contemporary paradigm, we may also associate the practice with what has come to be known as interactive theater. Whatever label, the objectives of the practitioners coalesce around the subject of encouraging human and societal development (Desai 1991, 8). This paper deals with the activities and contributions of Zakes Mda, a prolific playwright, development communication consultant and novelist to the promotion of theater for development initiative in Lesotho, Southern Africa. The paper will concentrate on the activities and the role of the Marotholi Travelling Theater in conscientizing rural Basotho citizens