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FIRST CYCLE
T: Do you think they lead a healthier life?
P1: Yes, it’s a healthier life. And over there everything has a reason. [...]
P1: If I was born there I would be stronger than I am now, and better. They don’t
have so many sweets over there, so many treats. And you wouldn’t be sitting in
front of the computer all day. [...] You would also share the food with everyone else
that you hunted with. And then you won't be so fat either. Because you're not eating
all the food alone.‘
This idyllic notion of natural life says perhaps more about the context
the participants are in reality; it is useful to note how a very distant
fictional world can help in reflecting on their personal worries. However, P1,
a thoughtful, slightly chubby boy, did not bring these concerns into the drama
which did not focus on the agricultural life of the tribe, but attempted to
connect different ways of life and narratives through one specific space in
the village, the temple.
The temple walls were covered with iconic representation of the mythology
of the tribe and depictions of the different groups’ daily tasks inthe community,
similarly to murals or frescos in other temples. Ritual objects belonging to
communities that had different jobs were also in the space. However, observing
the video recording of an improvised scene at the end of the first session?"
it is clearly noticeable that none of the participants used any elements of the
space purposefully. As I became aware of this phenomenon only through the
observation of the video recordings I was unable to ask the participants about
it. One reason for this could be that using the objects offered more practical
possibilities for action — I will analyse the use of the objects further on in
the next section — there might be a number of other reasons too. Perhaps they
did not offer any meaning that was different from the objects, or the rest of
the class observing all around made using them difficult technically.
A recurring element in my reflective diary is my awakening awareness
of the original space of the classroom and the abundance of signs, stories and
encoded meaning on the walls.
628
626 F D1.
627 V3 D1.
68 RD GI;RD D2