Communicating the findings of a project is a key part of the process of undertaking research. Our research is designed to reach beyond the academic community, to policy makers and extensionists, and most importantly to the farmers whom we work with in Battambang and Pailin.
As Kaye et al. (2020) note, it is important to recognise that different audiences use, require and respond to different approaches. In response to this point, Project Lead, Associate Professor Brian Cook, collaborated with Lakhon Komnit, a Battambang-based grassroots Cambodian theatre group.
Lakhon Komnit is dedicated to the inclusive development of Lakhon Niyeay (Cambodian Spoken Theatre). This type of theatre is designed to cultivate emotional intelligence and critical consciousness in its creators, spectators and participants in order to ignite agency. Audience members become actors in the final act of the performance, writing the script and performing roles in the story.
In February and March 2023, 13 performances took place across Battambang and Pailin as part of the Uptake of agricultural technologies and best practices amongst farmers in Battambang and Pailin provinces project.
Following the performance, our research assistants conducted short semi-structured interviews with audience members. They asked about their impressions of the show, whether it reflected farmer situations and needs, and what impact it might make in their farming and life. These audience
responses, collected after all 13 performances, will be analysed and available in a planned academic
journal.
Find out more about this collaboration and watch a theatre performance here.