We are pleased to share FIREPOL’s new publication:
Escobar-Alvarado, L. F., Fontana, L. B., António, T. E. M., & Vannucci, A. (2026). Performing Fire Governance: Co-Creating an Integrated Fire Management Plan Through Legislative Theatre in Eastern Angola. Fire, 9(9), 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire9090366
The article documents the application of Legislative Theatre as a participatory approach to co-develop an Integrated Fire Management plan in eastern Angola.
ABSTRACT:
Fire regimes are changing globally, yet dominant fire governance remains centred on emergency response and suppression, often neglecting fire’s ecological functions and cultural significance. Although community-based burning practices persist across many fire-dependent landscapes, particularly in Africa, they rarely receive institutional recognition or appropriate governance. Integrated Fire Management and Community-Based Fire Management frameworks have called for bottom-up approaches that integrate biological, environmental, and social dimensions while prioritising local governance and customary fire practices. However, practical mechanisms for eliciting socio-cultural values, operationalising participation, and addressing power asymmetries in fire decision-making remain limited. This article documents the application of Legislative Theatre as a participatory approach to co-develop an Integrated Fire Management plan in eastern Angola. Through 37 stories based on lived experiences and collective, performance-based exercises exploring fire-related problems across seven villages, communities articulated diverse fire uses, values, and shared norms for improving local fire governance. Our findings show that theatre-based methods enabled the expression of embodied, emotional, and experiential knowledge often overlooked by conventional engagement approaches, while supporting knowledge co-production and participant agency. We argue that Legislative Theatre and storytelling provide practical tools for strengthening the socio-cultural dimensions of Integrated Fire Management, provided they are carefully facilitated, culturally adapted, and supported through long-term engagement.
