Popular theatre and the media: The empowerment of culture in development communication

Abstract. For three decades popular theatre has been used in processes of development communication as part of adult education programmes. From these initiatives grew a special type of popular theatre, called ’theatre for development. ’ In workshops training people in the use of popular theatre techniques an inventory of local problems is made for later use in the plays. In each play one problem theme is explored by and for the local community. At the other end of the scale is television, still to be regarded as a powerful and far-reaching medium for information and entertainment in developing countries. Unlike popular theatre, television provides a continuous flow of information from the top-down, from the city to the countryside, from the rulers to the people. This top-down flow is produced by the broadcast-ing organizations. Video, which is television, is part of this flow. But it is not necessarily so. Video as a small audience medium in developing countries is fast gaining ground. The Dutch Ministry of Development Cooperation, in a special paragraph of its latest memorandum dealing with the World Decade of Cultural Develop-ment (1988-1997), writes about cultural communication as an integral part of development work. The memorandum defines ’culture ’ in th