Singing in labour pains: understanding trade union protests through indigenous and non-indigenous methods

Abstract

This study is descriptive in nature, and seeks to understand trade union protests through the use of two research methods; indigenous and non-indigenous method. It will be looking at the 2011 BOFEPUSU strike, with the purpose of understanding and describing trade union protests, through songs, storytelling and focus group discussion. A mixed qualitative research approach was used, where indigenous methods (songs and storytelling) and conventional method (focus group discussion) of data collection were used. Albert Marshall’s Two Eyed seeing framework, was used where one eye sees the conventional way, while the other sees the indigenous way. The study was informed by the transformative paradigm, which claims that there are multiple realities. The analysis of songs was based on the Setswana idiom, which says “Pina ga ena morogano, ga ena bosekelo”,which means a song does not insult, therefore one cannot be held accountable for their song’s “vulgar” lyrical content. This study’s purpose was to give information on the 2011 BOFEPUSU strike, by describing the messages and views of people, with regard to the 2011 strike. And also to compare the messages collected from songs, storytelling and focus group discussion. The Atlas ti 8, software was used to analyzed data gathered. Data provided by songs, proved that indeed “Pina ga ena morogano, ga ena bosekelo”, as the messages from songs were more explicit, the same goes for storytelling. The story tellers were people who have been fired for engaging in the strike, they told their stories from the time they were declared essential service providers, up to the last stage of being dismissed from public service.