Enter Stage Right – Participatory Theater in DRC
SFCG President John Marks recently visited our DRC country program. DRC is our largest country program, with seven field offices throughout the country and a collective staff of over 60.
Lena Slachmuijlder, our DRC Country Director took John on a whirlwind tour of the work she and the rest of the staff have been doing.
SFCG DRC has grown significantly since we began working in the country __ years ago, and its programming, both in size and innovation. We produce the country’s first and only reality television show and our Congolese version of The Team features an all-female soccer team.
Our Congolese program has also pioneered the use of mobile cinema within our organization and has utilized participatory theater to great effect.
John was able to visit Uvira for a performance by one of the theater troupes that SFCG has trained and who work with us to communicate an array of messages.
Lena and John (center) with staff from the Uvira and Baraka Offices and actors from the theater troupe.
The theater troupe identifies specific conflict within each village where they perform and tailors their performance to address these.
The actors illustrate issues of land conflict.
In Uvira the drama centered around sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) and land conflict. Land conflict in Uvira is largely related to disputes between farmers and cattle owners. The livestock often eat or destroy crops and limited water must be divided between them.
An Uvira theater troupe actor keeps the audience engaged.
John and Lena enjoying the performance which uses humor to great advantage.
Learn more about our work in the DRC, here.
