The starting point of this research study began with a broad and unwieldly question - what would Zimbabwe look like if colonisation didn’t happen? This question arose with regard to the launch of the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act (IEEA) in 2007 and is focused of on building an understanding of notions of indigeneity in Zimbabwe through an inquiry of indigenousness and indigenisation. The methodological approach is designed as an interdisciplinary and experimental research inquiry that processes these debates and proposes an expansion of the probabilities of notions of indigeneity within the range of existing socio-political, economic and historical analyses of indigenousness and indigenisation in Zimbabwe. This exploration begins with a broad historical, anthropological and etymological survey of the term 'indigenous’ that is interwoven with a contextual account of Zimbabwe and its socio-political lifespan. The primary site of investigation is the independence-day ceremony that took place at the National Sports Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe on the 18th of April 2017. This focus is motivated by two distinctive elements at this event - a banner that declares 'ZIMBABWE WILL NEVER BE A COLONY AGAIN’ and a fragment from the president’s speech that asserts, 'we can now call ourselves full masters of our destiny’ (Mugabe 2017). This event stands as a crucial node for the debates and questions this research aims to pose regarding notions of indigenisation, indigenousness and registers of indigeneity. Political and socio-economic analyses of this annual ritual tower above the lacuna of analysis of its performance logics. This performance-specific inquiry aims to contribute new meanings and complexity around the event. The information generated from this reading is further processed through the mechanisms of speculative research as a way to think beyond the dilemmas and paradoxes that emerge from the historical, anthropological and performance analyses of this event. The penultimate chapter of this dissertation suggests a conceptual rehearsal of the findings generated through an expanded understanding of queer theory. The final articulation of 2 this research investigation extends the experimental approach, presenting a set of visual, aural and sculptural elements as the conclusion. The dissertation offers alternate readings of notions of homogeneity and singularity. It is also constituted as a way to understand the probability of building new knowledges through lateral and rhizomic processes as a journey that gathers and synthesizes from across a number of disciplines. The contention of this thesis, then, is to suggest an expansion of the notion of indigeneity towards the possibility of polygeneity, a notion that aims to align with the conceptual constructs of cosmopolitanism (Appiah 2006, Kleingeld and Brown 2014), which engage arguments for expanded understandings of contemporary identity formation. Embodied in this suggestion of polygeneity lies the potential to revive notions of dynamism and creativity that have been dormant since the onset of European colonisation in Zimbabwe. In the wake of the 'new dawn’ in Zimbabwe, in this moment of growing debates for alternatives, the thesis finds its impulse in the imperative for radical and creative shifts in consciousness to activate new ideas, new readings, and new knowledges.

This dissertation is concerned with developing the South African youth's active participation in formal politics. Spoken word poetry as an applied drama and theatre medium is of particular interest to this study and it argues that the art form can be used as a means of youth development in the area of formal politics. To illustrate its argument, the dissertation discusses how a programme of spoken word poetry was used to address the issue of youth formal political participation and developed a group of young people's enthusiasm to participate in formal national decision-making processes. The programme, titled Raising Participation, was conducted with the support of Africa Unite, a non-profit organisation in Cape Town that offered their school club members as participants in the programme. The workshops targeted young people who would be eligible to vote in South Africa's next general elections, set to take place in 2024. Chapter 2 discusses spoken word poetry as an applied drama and theatre medium and identifies the connections which make spoken word poetry an appropriate art form to use as an applied drama and theatre approach. Chapter 3 discusses the programme of activities, the theoretical framework that informed its design and the methods of data collection and analysis which were used. It also discusses Africa Unite and the partnership between the organisation and the programme. Chapter 4 discusses the findings of the programme and its successes and limitations, concluding the dissertation.

Dance-based physical theatre as a sub-strand of Physical Theatre, is positioned as a continuum of dance. Dance-based physical theatre performers are encouraged to embrace their personal uniqueness and previous dance training, when creating and expressing movement. The intended meaning embedded in dance-based physical theatre is often misunderstood or not grasped by audience members. This study incorporates emotion into a dance-based physical theatre performance to determine whether audience members are able to perceive the emotions as intended by the choreographer and portrayed by the performer. The thesis statement of this study is that both the meaning as well as the intent of a physical theatre performance can be enhanced through the incorporation and deliberate application of emotion. The investigative question of this study is: How does an audience perceive and distinguish the intended emotions in a dance-based physical theatre performance? The aim of this study is to determine whether a South African audience can perceive the intended emotions portrayed in a dance-based physical theatre performance. This study suggests that there are two primary scholarly discourses relating to how human beings perceive emotions in themselves and in others. One discourse regards emotion as humanly congruent, suggesting that humans are able to express and perceive emotions such as fear, anger, disgust, happiness, sadness and surprise, regardless of cultural and personal differences (Roether et al. 2009:1); the second discourse regards emotion as personally unique, suggesting that cultural differences, as well as personal circumstances and unique bodily and facial features play a role in how emotion is expressed and perceived (Masuda et al. 2008:378). These two discourses on emotion are considered throughout the study. It is further suggested that emotion is perceived through ‘four domains’ namely: facial expressions; body attitude and orientation; breathing patterns; as well as voice and sounds that are produced. This study draws on qualitative, quantitative and practice-based research approaches in order to answer the investigative question. Elements of accepted scholarly approaches, such as: Effector Patterns (EP) drawing on the work of Bloch (2015) and Bond (2017); Laban Movement Studies (LMS) drawing from the Effort Elements and Factors, as well as the Shape category (Wahl 2019; Bradley 2009); and Lessac Kinesensics (LK) drawing from the body NRG’s (Lessac 2019; Lessac & Kinghorn 2014) are integrated to formulate ‘three strategies’ to facilitate the embodiment of three emotions: anger, fear and disgust. These three emotions are portrayed randomly throughout the dance-based physical theatre performance choreographed specifically for this study. Combining the two opposed discourses concerning emotion turned out to be valuable. This study concludes that emotion in performance comprises both humanly congruent and personally unique aspects. A significant number of audience members perceived emotion through both a humanly congruent and a personally unique lens. The audience recognised the different emotions portrayed in the performance. The final conclusion of this study was based on the analysis of the raw data collected by the Mobile Application that was specifically designed for this study. It was deduced from the analysed data that 51% of the audience members perceived more than 50% of the emotions that were portrayed in the performance. The conclusion my thus be drawn that emotion is both humanly congruent and personally unique, and that the intent of a dance-based physical theatre performance can possibly be enhanced by embracing and applying emotion. / Dissertation (MA Drama)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Drama / MA (Drama) / Unrestricted

This thesis examines the process of bringing Small Box with a Revolver from pre-writing to production at Southern Illinois University in March 2021, and my own growth in that process. I drew inspiration from the general societal behavior during the pandemic and other crises of 2020, as well as absurdist plays like Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. The play was written to my stylistic preference of writing dark comedies about social issues.Chapter One examines where I began and how I developed the plot, characters and stylistic choices. Chapter Two examines the writing process, including initial peer and faculty feedback to the script. Chapter Three looks at the unique pre-production process in trying to bring Small Box with a Revolver to the stage, virtually. Chapter Four details the production itself, what I learned, and what further work I would like to do on the script. Chapter Five details my evaluation of my process throughout the MFA program as a playwright and professional, as well as my final considerations. Also included, is the production script.

This study introduces into performance discourse the mbokodofication of Black women – that is, the production of the ‘Strong Black Woman' trope, specifically in the South African context. To this end, the study traces the genealogy of the tropes of Black womanhood that have emerged throughout the history of the South African literary canon, analyzing them critically for their varied contributions to the (mis)representations of Black women, both on stage and in the world. Employing the joint methodologies of Practice as Research and African Feminist Autoethnography (which I propose as a variant of Black Feminist Autoethnography specifically contextualized to Black African women), the study unpacks the psychological effects of mbokodofication on Black women performers who, through this phenomenon, become locked into the Sisyphean task of portraying trauma and having this trauma re-inscribed to them through the mimetic style of performance imposed by the dramatic paradigm. The ways in which the dramatic paradigm reproduces coloniality are explored and code-switching is proposed as a potential aesthetic liberator for performers who wish to obfuscate and make visible certain elements of Black womanhood from the violent colonial gaze and thus protect themselves from post-dramatic stress. The study follows the trajectory of my research enquiry and performance practice to explicate the dramaturgical process which brought into being my thesis production, Malibongwe, and, in the end, proposes the work as a post-mbokodoist manifesto.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that co-infections of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and Chlamydia trachomatis occur in vivo. Data from a tissue culture model of C. trachomatis/HSV-2 co-infection indicate that viral co-infection stimulates the formation of persistent chlamydiae. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analyses demonstrated that in both HeLa and HEC-1B cells, co-infection caused developing chlamydiae to exhibit swollen, aberrantly shaped reticulate bodies (RBs), characteristically observed in persistence. Additionally, HSV-2 co-infection suppressed production of infectious chlamydial elementary bodies (EBs) in both host cell types. Co-infection with HSV type 1 (HSV-1) produced similar morphologic alterations and abrogated infectious EB production. These data indicate that virus-induced chlamydial persistence was neither host cell-nor virus strain-specific. Purification of crude HSV-2 stocks demonstrated that viral particles were required for coinfection-induced chlamydial persistence to occur. Finally, co-infection with either UV-inactivated, replication-incompetent virus or replication-competent HSV-2 in the presence of cyclohexamide reduced chlamydial infectivity without altering chlamydial genomic DNA accumulation. These data demonstrate that productive viral replication is not required for the induction of chlamydial persistence and suggest that HSV attachment and entry can provide the necessary stimulus to alter C. trachomatis development.

Includes bibliographical references. / This dissertation focuses on the use of drama as a method of fostering inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers living in host communities. It examines two theatrically based studies simultaneously facilitated over a six month period between July and December of 2012 and explores the two programs from the stage of conception to conclusions regarding their effectiveness in tackling issues related to social exclusion, xenophobic sentiment and violence.The study approaches the topic from three social perspectives considering the position of refugee, host and facilitator and parallels these positions in order to highlight relationship structures which both prevent and assist in the fostering of inclusion and/or coexistence. The study further examines how the interactions help to develop the programs and how the use of theatre can bridge societal gaps; with a unique focus on environments where host and refugee find themselves in a non-encounter position due to the potential for violence. The research methodology stems primarily from grounded theory and brings together elements of symbolic interactionism, pedagogy, sociology, psychology and applied theatre. The method looks at increasing and facilitating communication about and between host and refugee through exploration in applied theatre and intends to increase social understanding between the parties by challenging participant’s stereotypes of the other.

This dissertation examines the theatre making process of a youth theatre group in Khayelitsha called Qina n Divas. It considers why and how this theatre making process is a youth development tool within the ambit of applied theatre. The study is partly driven by my memories and experiences of growing up in a township, as well as applied theatre aims, which are to use theatre to address social issues and honor the participants’ ways of using theatre to address their issues. I examine how the Qina n Divas young people, who are growing up in an environment that challenges their development, use theatre making as a way of reviewing and revaluing their lives. I identify and examine the various systems that influence the youth’s lives and that limit their use of theatre as a liberation tool in that the theatre making is a rehearsal of their issues rather than becoming a means of interrogating the issues. As I am immersed in the township context I also reflect on my involvement and how I unintentionally became part of the problem, which limits the youth’s development. My position of being an applied theatre practitioner and researcher is informed by my Xhosa cultural identity, my Zulu schooling and my English-speaking higher education, which also influenced my relationship with the youth. In the research process, the young people and I exchanged several theatre making methods. The theatre making explored themes of bullying, rape, environmental issues, parental love and abandonment, which revealed the youth’s emotions and thoughts about these themes. In spite of the above-mentioned limitations, I propose that theatre making allows the youth to use their imaginations to construct their identity in a partly secure space and to journey beyond the township to the Cape Town suburbs. The theatre practice induces a sense of hope amongst the youth and allows them to voice the issues that matter to them.

Includes bibliographical references. / The explication presents Orange Book as a piece of site-responsive public space performance, showing how similar patterns of thought and feeling emerging in both research and artwork led to elaborating the notion of an art methodology for the work. The explication further considers a process of research into drama and history in relation to contemporary performance: where narrative dramatic forms,whether organic or fragmented, show history as a fait accompli, an aesthetic orientation around open structures and non-narrative performance modes allows for a constructive, ethically directed, philosophical engagement with historical process. The explication thus demonstrates implications of biography, philosophy, history and dramatization in my search for a distinctive performance idiom.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-62). / This dissertation examines the process of creating Jingle Dreams with the youth in Clanwilliam. It aims to ascertain whether the processes of Community Theatre drama create opportunities for the individuals in the identified community to explore a social identity influenced by historical legacy, heritage, memory (or absence thereof) and socio-economic environment. The intention of the dissertation is influenced by the Applied Drama mission to benefit individuals, communities and societies through artistic forms of intervention such as dramatic activities, theatre directing, mediation and discussions. I will examine how the processes and the performative qualities of drama and theatre have the potential to transform individuals and society. Community Theatre creates the space for young people to share and question common experiences of life. This ensures that marginalised voices are heard which has psychological and social benefits for the participants. The dissertation proposes to interrogate how young people revealed their social identity through the narrative structure, dialogue, stereotypes and symbols in Jingle Dreams. I have been strongly motivated by the work of Augusto Boal which was the source of a large part of the dramatic processes. In the research process, the young people belonging to The Community Networking Creative Arts Group were encouraged to find their own forms of artistic, cultural and theatrical expression. During the rehearsal process, the group improvised and developed many scenes which reflected issues such as alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence and intergenerational tension. The narrative of the performance was based both on their stories and on stories from their community. It reflected their circumstances, their struggles, their hopes and their dreams. Theatre devised in community situations reflects concern with the representation of memory, and participants are invited to recognise that autobiographical narratives have social, communitarian and historical significance, as well as personal relevance. Performers drew on their own experiences to devise the scenes. This process often emphasised how the boundaries between truth and fiction are blurred. The lack of a clear distinction between fact and art facilitated the revelation, exploration and contestation of social identity.