Where the power lies: multiple stakeholder politics over natural ...

In the story presented in Box 10 there are clearly different levels of relations that are
intertwined. Relations of the traditional leader and one particular household expose the
complexity of how relations are constituted and maintained in a local setting. In particular,
through such everyday stories one is able to construct relationships in relation to difficult
topics like, suicide and infidelity. Data of this nature is often difficult to obtain through
public interviews yet is crucial for explaining everyday behavior, attitudes, and perceptions
of power in a place at a given time.
One needs also to develop an extensive network of informants across the board who
become informants, who through everyday interaction can reveal what is going on, explain
complex relationships and offer insights on behaviours, rationale, etc. However, one
needs to work hard to create these networks. Some fieldworkers have observed that one
may need to get involved (or work with someone already part of the local life of
stakeholders) in local life experiences like attending church, funerals, and other societal
gatherings. For example, a field worker in Romwe in the Chivi district of Zimbabwe,
found that adopting some of the attributes of the stakeholders was a useful tool to attain
acceptability in Box 12.
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Box 12. How one field worker worked towards becoming one with the community
When I leased a piece of arable land from a local farmer and started farming like
everyone in the community, my interaction with the locals was greatly improved.
People became more open about issues that are usually treated as secrets. We started to
openly talk about illegal transactions in land. I also came to interact on a one-on-one
basis with those who provide hired labour to the rich in the community when they
flocked to work in my field. They told me why they prefer to sell their labour to the rich
instead of working in their own fields. I also learnt a lot in the community garden
where I have a few plots. As I mingled with the farmers irrigating or weeding we talked,
joked and commented on everything. Even the farmers who are usually shy to speak
at group meetings spoke their minds freely in the garden. The more I interacted with
the locals, the more they wanted to tell me more about themselves, hear about me (where
I come from, my family, my fears, etc.), and about the interaction with them. Formal
community meetings are not always the best platforms to discuss contentious issues,
as some people are stage shy while others believe that there are only two views to
everything—their own view or no other view! I became convinced that one needs a tape
recorder as most of these exchanges occur when one has no note pad to record the
information. (Witness Kozanayi, 03/2001).
Ultimately, the goal should be to become identified with the stakeholders to a point
where you can go anywhere without ceremony; attend meetings even when you are not
invited; be included or consulted over issues or decisions. One field researcher observed
that ‘to get good data, one must be prepared to endure hours of mindless gossip; sit in
many a smoky kitchen; buy as many scuds (a traditional beer brew sold in a container
shaped like a scud missile used during the Gulf war) as possible; and join in as many
chores as possible (ACM Seminar, Harare: 08/ 2000).
Meanings of power differ between societies and the contexts in which power is exercised
also differ. Our common sense ideas about power, and with it, status, are turned inside