ABSTRACT
The contributions in the Southern African section highlight the contested relationship between the neo-colonial state, and how applied performance processes disturb a neo-liberal order. The participants reflected in these diverse approaches to how theatre and performance is applied towards social and political change range from professional actors in Malawi, to applied theatre professionals working in corporate environments in South Africa, to amplifying the experiences of children in Lesotho and South Africa, to politically engaged performances in Zimbabwe. Drama for Life (DFL) is rooted in the HIV/AIDS crisis in Southern Africa and was initially created to research and develop ethical methodologies and processes that can harness the performing arts to address the multiple dimensions of this health crisis. DFL recognised the many arts practitioners in Southern Africa who were using a range of popular theatre forms to respond to the social, political and health dimensions of HIV/AIDS.
