When Mom said, “knowledge is power” I thought she was trying to motivate me. Now I understand – she was warning me. Freire’s POTO discusses how knowledge production can allow students to sink or swim (71), and in order to avoid the latter we must reject alienating, (86) hierarchical teacher-student dynamics and opt for more collaborative, “problem-posing” (79) styles. I respect Freire’s attentiveness to an imperative curiosity (18) and awareness of the hardships of internalized self-depreciation (63).

Boal also emphasized knowledge (or hunger for it) as a potential gateway to violence (6). I see this incredible, destructive hunger in people everyday, for money, sex, red meat. In TOTO Boal focuses on the politicality of theater and unpacking traditional European versions of tragedy. His idea of theatre involves the spectator, mirroring Freire’s aspirations for teachers and students. He shows how we can reclaim theatre to integrate art (even blacksmithing! (11)), science, and seemingly opposed humans (10). With nods to Buddhism-eque moderation and virtuosity (14-15) Boal shows how responsibility + chatting = justice. I look forward to experimenting with his Newspaper Theatre (144) to spread the word about racism utilizing animals in the media.

Animal storytelling lover Thiong’o wrote about violent knowledge formation enacted through “systemic language suppression” (439). Using the example of Kenyan schools punishing students for using their mother tongues (438), he shows how the psychological damage of “canons” bears weight equal to “cannons” (436). He petitions writers to share their authentic experiences in their native language (452), this according with Freire’s message that “There is no true word that is not at the same time a praxis” (87).

Césaire’s strongest contribution is the “Boomerang Effect of Colonization” (177). Just like Freire, who said “No one can be authentically human while he prevents the other from being so” (85), Césaire notes how “Colonization works to decolonize the colonizer” (173), making him into the animal that he made of the colonized (177). Using poetic and hyper-visual language, Césaire stresses the mutual mistrust that results from colonial rule (177). It’s no wonder Boal included so many trust exercises in his workshops.

 

works cited

Boal, Augusto. Theatre of the Oppressed. London: Pluto Press. 2008.

Césaire, Aimé. “From Discourse on Colonialism” Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader. eds. Patrick Williams, and Laura Chrisman. 172-180. New York: Columbia University Press. 1994.

Freire, Paulo. “Introduction” Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group. 2000. 11-28. . Print.

Thiong’o, Ngugi wa. “The Language of African Culture” Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader. eds. Patrick Williams, and Laura Chrisman. 435-455. New York: Columbia University Press. 1994.