Street Theatre Programme
We are working with a locally-based organisation in each of the four countries, using Participatory Street Theatre to engage ordinary members of majority communities in debates about diversity, difference, equality and justice. It’s on this basis that we hope to promote inter-cultural dialogue, cultural diversity and respect for all cultures and ways of life.
Discriminatory attitudes are often passed on to children through education and within families. What’s more, many people rely almost entirely on indirect information, or hearsay; they may never have seen or spoken to a person from the community in question. In Rwanda, the Twa minorities exist interspersed with majority communities, however, other minorities or indigenous peoples such as the Fisher peoples in Kenya are geographically remote from the majority population.
This limits interaction between groups and can exacerbate the already prevalent ignorance and stereotypes. During this programme, actors from minority and majority communities in each country will perform plays that address issues of discrimination and stereotyping.
Partners and programme countries
Kenya is a country of great ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious diversity. In recent years, however, political conflict on ethnic lines has increased dramatically, exacerbated by the combination of divisive politicians and economic decline. Sponsored Arts For Education (SAFE) use the performing arts to inspire and lead social change.
The performing arts are a powerful medium for creating change. Performing arts inspire change, respect cultural integrity and give expression to the creative energy that is at the heart of every community. On stage SAFE captures peoples’ imagination and helps them explore social issues. Audiences recognise their lives being acted out before them, allowing them to reflect on the choices they make. Off-stage SAFE collaborates with communities to devise and design solutions to these social issues, helping communities to both take immediate action and establish the structures for long-term change. SAFE works on a number of social issues including HIV, peace building, water and sanitation, environment and female circumcision. The organization focuses on three very different Kenyan communities: the Maasai, the Narobi Slums and the heavily populated Coast Province.
In the Dominican Republic, Haitians, who represent a minority of up to a million people, form a distinct cultural and linguistic group. Despite the African and indigenous ancestral mixtures that constitute the population, Dominicans perceive themselves and Dominican culture as essentially urban, modernist, Catholic, Spanish-European and superior. In contrast, Haitians and their culture are perceived as being rural, backward, animist, African with a French veneer and inferior.
Our Dominican partner MUDHA challenges both gender discrimination and racism in the Dominican Republic by empowering women, providing them with access to basic social services. It has built schools and health clinics in bateyes (settlements) and established day care and adult education programs. MUDHA also challenges laws and practices that maintain women and children of Haitian descent in conditions of poverty.
In Botswana, the Tswana are a numerical minority and one of 26 different tribal communities living in the country, many of whose languages and cultural identity are endangered. Our Botswana partner RETENG is a Coalition of 13 organizations and informal groupings devoted to the promotion and preservation of the linguistic and cultural diversity of Botswana’s heritage.
Since the 1994 genocide, ethnicity has been a difficult and sensitive area in Rwanda. For the marginalized Batwa community - historically discriminated against by both Hutus and Tutsis – recognition of its distinct identity has been extremely important. Our Rwandan partner, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA)of Rwanda is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that works at the grass roots level. It is a membership organization for women and young girls established in Rwanda in February 1995, following the genocide and in response to the rising concern for the many widows and children left in its wake. With headquarter in Muhanga YWCA is operating in 11 districts and has about 1400 full members, women and young girls grouped into 70 working groups. It counts about 16,167 beneficiaries including orphans, vulnerable children (OVCs) and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). YWCA vision is a world where all women live free from poverty and where they and their rights are respected.
Method
- Our goal is for 1300 majority community members in each of 4 programme countries to see the street theatre, over the course of 8-10 productions. After the performance, actors will encourage audience members to discuss the event with their friends and relatives.
- The locations for the theatre are selected in order to attract big audiences. In each of these countries, street life is vibrant and we anticipate that both men and women will be out and will be attracted to stop by the performance.
- As the audiences may or may not be literate, no literacy is necessary for participation and comprehension of the street performance.
- The theatre is carried out in the majority language of each country – this is so as to challenge the majority community members who hold prejudiced views.
- We anticipate that some of the spectators will be willing to participate in the drama itself - thus increasing its relevance to the audience as well as increasing its impact.