COM2615
Assignment 2 Semester 2 2026
Unique number: 352209
Due date: 14 September 2026
QUESTION 1: IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS ACCORDING TO A DECOLONIAL
APPROACH
A decolonial approach would change both the purpose of the interviews and the
relationship between Community Voices KwaZulu-Natal and the people taking part in
the research. Instead of treating community members as sources from whom
information is collected, I would approach them as people whose knowledge comes
from culture, history, relationships and lived experience. The research should
therefore understand media use from the community's own ways of knowing rather
than forcing every response into mainly Western assumptions (Chilisa 2012:174-
180). This matters strongly in KwaZulu-Natal because the participants come from
different languages, histories, social positions and community experiences that may
shape media use.
, QUESTION 1: IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS ACCORDING TO A DECOLONIAL
APPROACH
A decolonial approach would change both the purpose of the interviews and the
relationship between Community Voices KwaZulu-Natal and the people taking part in
the research. Instead of treating community members as sources from whom
information is collected, I would approach them as people whose knowledge comes
from culture, history, relationships and lived experience. The research should
therefore understand media use from the community's own ways of knowing rather
than forcing every response into mainly Western assumptions (Chilisa 2012:174-
180). This matters strongly in KwaZulu-Natal because the participants come from
different languages, histories, social positions and community experiences that may
shape media use.
The interview structure would first need to respect postcolonial indigenous values
instead of assuming that a formal question and answer session is always the best
way to produce knowledge. Conventional interviewing can place the researcher in
control because the researcher decides what counts as a useful question, how the
conversation should proceed and how the participant's words will later be
interpreted. A decolonial interview should create more space for storytelling, local
expressions, pauses, examples, proverbs and other culturally meaningful ways of
explaining experience (Chilisa 2012:174-180). For this project, I would therefore use
a flexible interview guide rather than a rigid list that must be followed in exactly the
same order with every participant.
Language would also be treated as part of knowledge rather than as a simple
translation problem during the fieldwork process. Participants should be able to
speak in isiZulu or another language in which they can explain meaning comfortably,
because people may lose important cultural meanings when they are pushed to
speak only in English. I would use local interviewers or interpreters who understand
the language and community context, while ensuring that translations preserve the
participant's intended meaning.
The interview process should also follow a relational way of understanding people,
because indigenous knowledge does not always separate an individual from family,
community, ancestry and place. I would invite participants to explain who they are in
Assignment 2 Semester 2 2026
Unique number: 352209
Due date: 14 September 2026
QUESTION 1: IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS ACCORDING TO A DECOLONIAL
APPROACH
A decolonial approach would change both the purpose of the interviews and the
relationship between Community Voices KwaZulu-Natal and the people taking part in
the research. Instead of treating community members as sources from whom
information is collected, I would approach them as people whose knowledge comes
from culture, history, relationships and lived experience. The research should
therefore understand media use from the community's own ways of knowing rather
than forcing every response into mainly Western assumptions (Chilisa 2012:174-
180). This matters strongly in KwaZulu-Natal because the participants come from
different languages, histories, social positions and community experiences that may
shape media use.
, QUESTION 1: IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS ACCORDING TO A DECOLONIAL
APPROACH
A decolonial approach would change both the purpose of the interviews and the
relationship between Community Voices KwaZulu-Natal and the people taking part in
the research. Instead of treating community members as sources from whom
information is collected, I would approach them as people whose knowledge comes
from culture, history, relationships and lived experience. The research should
therefore understand media use from the community's own ways of knowing rather
than forcing every response into mainly Western assumptions (Chilisa 2012:174-
180). This matters strongly in KwaZulu-Natal because the participants come from
different languages, histories, social positions and community experiences that may
shape media use.
The interview structure would first need to respect postcolonial indigenous values
instead of assuming that a formal question and answer session is always the best
way to produce knowledge. Conventional interviewing can place the researcher in
control because the researcher decides what counts as a useful question, how the
conversation should proceed and how the participant's words will later be
interpreted. A decolonial interview should create more space for storytelling, local
expressions, pauses, examples, proverbs and other culturally meaningful ways of
explaining experience (Chilisa 2012:174-180). For this project, I would therefore use
a flexible interview guide rather than a rigid list that must be followed in exactly the
same order with every participant.
Language would also be treated as part of knowledge rather than as a simple
translation problem during the fieldwork process. Participants should be able to
speak in isiZulu or another language in which they can explain meaning comfortably,
because people may lose important cultural meanings when they are pushed to
speak only in English. I would use local interviewers or interpreters who understand
the language and community context, while ensuring that translations preserve the
participant's intended meaning.
The interview process should also follow a relational way of understanding people,
because indigenous knowledge does not always separate an individual from family,
community, ancestry and place. I would invite participants to explain who they are in
