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At first glance, it seems odd that a paper should be concerned with the place of story-telling in scientific studies when researchers such as ethnographers have long used this technique. However, the growth of knowledge generated through the extensively used classical research inquiries of qualitative and quantitative approaches has created a kind of mandarin and sheltered culture where anything that does not fall within these paradigms is received with skepticism, making it possible that indigenous ways of knowing, such as story-telling, be accepted feebly by the scientific communities. The argument presented in this paper is that to remove stories from empirically accepted research tools is to silence indigenous communities by depriving them of using a mode consistent with their culture and their ways of understanding the world they live in. Supporting this argument are discussions and examples focusing on aspects such as the nature and structure of stories; the social meaning of stories; potential benefits of using stories; methodological challenges in using story-telling as a research tool; the nature of story-telling and accompanying challenges of using new technologies such as photovoice. It is concluded that researchers who are skeptical about using story-telling are in danger of mimicking forces which have destroyed the cultures of many indigenous communities and silenced these communities with their strange and foreign ways of knowing. Using story-telling is a way of averting the use of mainstream theories that do not respect indigenous identity, culture, experiences and ways of knowing. Recommendations point to the need to bring together researchers and scholars whose current interest is in indigenous communities to discuss a number of issues including (i) story's dependability, (ii) the relationship between the researcher and the narrator who claims to have the right to narrate, (iii) authorship of stories, and (iv) intelligibility. When issues such as these are still being considered, it is an indication that story-telling is still evolving into a potent research tool.

Growth in rural communities, along with attendant changes in social, economic and environmental conditions, challenges members of these communities to take even more responsibility for their lives than in the past. While there is a need to promote sustainable economic prosperity, it is important that developmental approaches should not compromise the potential of citizens to meet these challenges independently. The present contribution is based on a phenomenological study that explored approaches to community development in Botswana. One of the key findings was that these were dominated by a bureaucratized welfare scheme, as the government gave free food and farming implements to poor people in an approach referred to as atlhama-o-je ('open-your-mouth-and-eat'). The present contribution reflects on the consequences of using this type of approach, arguing that instead of bringing real hope to the rural poor, it generated counterproductive attitudes. In conclusion, the authors suggest alternative strategies that take account of the life experiences of the rural poor and render them less dependent on government intervention for their well-being.Zusammenfassung -JENSEITS DER FÖ RDERUNGSRHETORIK: SPRICH DIE SPRACHE, ERLEBE DIE ERFAHRUNGEN DER ARMEN IN LÄ NDLICHEN GEBIETEN -Das Wachstum in la¨ndlichen Gemeinschaften in Verbindung mit den begleitenden Vera¨nderungen der sozialen, wirtschaftlichen und o¨kologischen Bedingungen fordert Mitglieder dieser Gemeinschaften dazu heraus, noch mehr Verantwortung fu¨r ihr Leben zu u¨bernehmen als in der Vergangenheit. Wa¨hrend es notwendig ist, anhaltenden wirtschaftlichen Wohlstand zu fo¨rdern, ist es wichtig, dass Zugangsweisen zur Entwicklung nicht das Potential der Bu¨rger kompromittieren sollten, diesen Herausforderungen unabha¨ngig zu begegnen. Der vorliegende Beitrag legt eine pha¨-nomenologische Studie zugrunde, welche die Zugangsweisen zur Entwicklung der Gemeinschaften in Botswana erforscht hat. Eines der Schlu¨sselergebnisse war, dass diese von einem bu¨rokratisierten Wohlfahrtsschema dominiert wurden, insofern die Regierung kostenlose Nahrung und landwirtschaftliche Gera¨te an arme Menschen in einem Programm unter dem Titel atlhama-o-je (''o¨ffne deinen Mund und iss'') abgegeben hat. Der vorliegende Beitrag reflektiert u¨ber die Konsequenzen, die sich aus der Anwendung dieser Zugangsart ergeben haben, indem er darlegt, dass sie kontraproduktive Einstellungen erzeugt hat, statt den Armen in la¨ndlichen Gebieten wirkliche Hoffnung zu bringen. In ihrer Schlussbetrachtung schlagen die Autorinnen alternative Strategien, welche die Lebenserfahrungen der Armen in la¨ndlichen Gebieten einbeziehen und sie in ihrem Wohlergehen als weniger abha¨ngig vom Eingreifen der Regierung betrachten.Re´sume´-PAR DELÀ LA RHÉ TORIQUE DE RENFORCEMENT : PARLER LE LANGAGE, VIVRE L'EXPÉ RIENCE DES PAUVRES VIVANT EN MILIEU RURAL -La croissance dans les communaute´s rurales, en meˆme temps que les

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