From 29th June to 10th July 2022 the members of the WoPedyP project team ventured out into the communities of Nchechane, Nobody (Ga-Mothapo), Mankweng and Ramogale to conduct questionnaire based interviews. A total of 735 voluntary respondents from the four selected study sites: Nchechane (N=171), Nobody (N=188), Mankweng (N=195) and Ramogale (N=181). The team was assisted by fourth year Hons students from the University of Limpopo. These students provided invaluable support in terms of their embedded knowledge of the study sites and their knowledge of the local language. In turn, they were exposed to the process of collecting primary data and carrying out empirical research.
The questionnaires were co-designed by the PhD and masters’ students involved in the project to capture the perspectives about livelihoods, sense of place and access as well as addressing in the respective areas. As with all in-field research experiences, some aspects of the questionnaire worked well, whilst others required some adjustments which we made after our pilot session.
As I look back at the fieldwork experience, the most striking part of my recollection is the enthusiasm with which respondents interacted with us. Respondents seemed very intrigued with the questions we asked them, they enjoyed answering our questions and sharing information about their community. Laughter always accompanied the interaction, but from the reflective pauses it was evident that they took the process seriously. This concretises the idea that research is about capturing and listening to people’s stories and lived realities, and putting them at the centre of the process. It is about having a conversation with them and taking the time to “hear their voices” rather than just getting the numbers!
We are currently busy with analysing the data from these interviews. I would like to think that we are in the process of “listening to 735 voices”.